Group Two for Foxwedge

Glamour colt Foxwedge (3c Fastnet Rock x Forest Native, by Forest Wildcat) was back to his best at Randwick on Saturday, overpowering the smart Melbourne visitor Masthead to win the Group II ATC Roman Consul Stakes. Third at his previous start in the Group I ATC Golden Rose, but later demoted to fourth following a successful protest, the John O’Shea trained Foxwedge bounced back from that torrid run to race handy throughout and then hold off Masthead to win the 1200 metre sprint by a short neck. "He wants to be a racehorse he’s a very genuine fella and it’s a pleasure to have him,” O’Shea said. "When he got to the front you could see him stargazing. "In fairness to him he’s probably a better chaser.” Winning rider Nash Rawiller described the win as "tradesmanlike” and said Foxwedge’s wandering mind over the final stages had him concerned. “He thought his job was done 150 [metres] out and I must admit I was pretty worried,” Rawiller said. "I knew when they come at me he’d find, but if something had have flashed late and caught him unaware we might have been in strife.” O’Shea said Foxwedge shouldn’t have the same problem when he has his one and only Melbourne start in the Group I Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on October 29. "I don’t think he’ll have that problem when we get him to Flemington, there will be something to chase for sure,” he said. A $925,000 purchase for bloodstock agent James Harron, formerly of De Burgh Equine, from the Luskin Park draft at the 2010 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Foxwedge is raced by Dr and Mrs Edmund Bateman and has now won four of eight starts and $478,700 in prizemoney. He is by red hot sire Fastnet Rock and is the first stakes-winner for his dam Forest Native (USA), a stakes-placed daughter of Forest Wildcat from the family of US Group III winner Count the Time. Forest Native has a two year-old full sister to Foxwedge that made $600,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale this year and has a yearling full sister to come. Fastnet Rock also had a productive day in Hong Kong with a winning double at Sha Tin courtesy of Ferrabosco (5g Fastnet Rock x La Suffragette, by Palace Music) and Chancellor (3c Fastnet Rock x Glitzy Guru, by Johann Quatz).