Another Group One Filly for Fastnet

The Group I MRC Thousand Guineas at Caulfield on Saturday was won by the blue-blooded Chris Waller trained filly Amicus (3f Fastnet Rock x Gold Chant, by El Moxie). Placed at each of her three previous runs this campaign, she stripped fit and ready to go for her first crack at the 1600 metres and was ridden a forward race by Hugh Bowman. She tracked the leader throughout and then surged clear to win by three-quarters of a length, taking her overall record to two wins and four placings from seven starts with prizemoney of $414,735. “Full credit to her. Her last two runs have been very good, she hasn’t had much luck at all,” said Chris Waller. “We left the instructions open to Hughie (Bowman) and fortunately she jumped well, settled well and it was a fantastic ride from him.” Bowman has partnered many good fillies over the years and know what it takes to win the big ones. “I won a maiden on her in the autumn and thought she would be a Flight Stakes class filly,” said Bowman. “Chris has given her a Melbourne prep and she’s won the equivalent of a Flight Stakes.” A $500,000 Magic Millions purchase for her trainer from the Tyreel Stud draft, Amicus runs for a syndicate of Waller stable clients who look to have a very smart filly on their hands. Bred by Makybe and consigned by Tyreel, Amicus is the second winner for stakes-placed Gold Chant, a half-sister by El Moxie (USA) to champion sprinter and emerging sire Starspangledbanner, who posted his first Australian stakes-winner at Caulfield on Saturday when Of The Brave won the Listed MRC Inglis Debutants Stakes. Makybe sold the current two year-old from Gold Chant, a filly by Choisir, for $230,000 at Magic Millions this year to Gai Waterhouse/James Harron Bloodstock and she has been named Aaralyn. Gold Chant has foaled this spring producing a full sister to Amicus by Fastnet Rock. Amicus is the 18th Group I winner for Fastnet Rock, who made it a two state stakes double when his older daughter Neena Rock (6m Fastnet Rock x Feminine Wiles, by Miesque’s Son) took out the Group III ATC Angst Stakes at Randwick. The John Sargent trained six year-old was already a Group III winner in New Zealand, but this was her first Black Type success in Australia. She took the 1600 metre feature by a long head and may now head to Melbourne for a shot at the Group I VRC Myer Classic on Derby Day at Flemington.