Classic Contender for Fastnet Rock
Entered for both the Group I Epsom and Irish Derbies and a slew of other Group I races including the Irish 2000 Guineas, progressive colt Buckaroo (3c Fastnet Rock x Roheryn, by Galileo) opened his stakes account winning the Listed Tetrarch Stakes (1m) at the Curragh on Monday.
Trained by Joseph O’Brien for Qatar Racing, Buckaroo won a maiden at Galway and was competitive in a couple of Group races last season before returning to finish second in the Group III Ballysax Stakes last month.
Sent out favourite for this one mile assignment, he was a class above bolting clear to win by four lengths under Shane Crosse.
"I was really happy with that. I took a bit of a chance coming back to a mile, but I thought he'd been working with plenty of pace, maybe more than I was giving him credit for in his earlier days,” said Joseph O’Brien.
"He looks like an Irish Guineas horse.
"He's a big, strong, powerful horse and has quite a laid-back attitude. I discussed it with Sheikh Fahad and we decided to come here and find out if he was a Guineas horse.
"I see him as more of an eight to 10-furlong horse than a 10 to 12-furlong horse. He seems to be versatile ground-wise."
Buckaroo is the best of three winners from stakes-winning Galileo mare Roheryn, a daughter of fast More Than Ready filly La Chunga, who won the Group III York Albany Stakes and Summer Stakes.
He is the 186th stakes-winner for champion sire Fastnet Rock and is his 25th bred from a daughter of Galileo, the nick running at 19.8% SW to runner.