Impressive Win for Royally Bred Fastnet Filly

Royally bred filly Lady Sharapova (3f Fastnet Rock x Perfect Persuasion, by Encosta de Lago) opened her account with an impressive win at Canterbury on Wednesday.

Third on debut in the Listed VRC Talindert Stakes in the autumn, Lady Sharapova was sent to the paddock after finishing sixth to Bring Me the Maid in the Group II ATC Magic Night Stakes.

Tuned up with a recent trial, Hawkes Racing had the filly fit and ready to fire for her return.

She settled off the pace and charged home for James McDonald to outpoint another stakes-placed filly in Twirl.

“She’s done everything right and we had her in Saturday, but decided to take the easy option and it’s all gone right,” said Wayne Hawkes.

“It will be onwards and upwards for her going forward. Her owners have got themselves a nice filly on their hands.”

Bred by Coolmore and partners including Yarraman Park, who also bred her mother, the filly fetched $800,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and runs for a syndicate headed by Allam Racing and her breeders, who retained an interest.

Entered for the Group I MRC Thousand Guineas, Lady Sharapova is a three-quarter sister to stakes-placed Papillion and is the second foal of stakes-placed Perfect Persuasion, a full sister to champion filly and four-time Group I winner Alinghi.

The full brother to Lady Sharapova was sold at Inglis Easter earlier this year for $1.6 million to John Warren Bloodstock and is yet to be named.

Perfect Persuasion has a filly to follow by Fastnet Rock and is due to foal again to the champion sire.