Fastnet Rock Influence Grows as Broodmare Sire

Champion sire Fastnet Rock is extending his influence as a broodmare sire with Group I VRC Lightning Stakes winner Gytrash (4g Lope de Vega x Miss Barley, by Fastnet Rock) his third Group I winner joining Santa Ana Lane and Tivaci among 23 stakes-winners in total.

Fastnet Rock is currently fifth on the leading Australian Broodmare Sires List by earnings and at age 18, he is the youngest sire in the Top 10.

Gytrash is a four year-old gelding by Lope de Vega, who is also the sire of five time Group I winner Santa Ana Lane.

There have been just five runners bred this way and three are winners, so the nick between Lope de Vega and Fastnet Rock is well worth exploring.

Fastnet Rock has long been proven to have a good affinity with mares carrying the blood of Storm Cat, who is from the same female family as his dam sire Royal Academy, a son of influential producer Crimson Saint, who is also the grand-dam of Storm Cat.

This nick has produced 23 stakes-winners from 409 starters so has a 5.6% stakes-winner to runner rate.

The five Group I winners bred this way are previously mentioned Gytrash and Santa Ana Lane as well as Foxwedge, Irish Lights and Awesome Planet.

When we get a bit more specific and look at Fastnet Rock with Storm Cat’s most successful son Giant’s Causeway (grand-sire of Lope de Vega), the strike rate improves to 8% stakes-winners to runners and retains three of those five Group I winners.