Stakes Success for Fastnet Filly

Fastnet Rock sired his 16th individual stakes-winner at Ipswich on Saturday when Born to Rock (3f Fastnet Rock x Call Me Pretty, by Peaks and Valleys) upstaged the older mares to win the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic over 1350 metres. Making her third start in Australia, having previously been trained in New Zealand by Stephen McKee, the Mike Moroney trained mare jumped swiftly for Matthew Palmer and led throughout to land her first Black Type success by more than a length. “Her run was bloody terrific actually,” Palmer said. “She has a huge cruising speed and we were able to get to the lead and once we got to the half mile and I was sitting quiet on her and I was pretty confident it would take a good one to run her down.” Born to Rock has won four of 11 starts and close to $90,000 in prizemoney, her newfound status as a stakes-winner guaranteed to boost her future value at stud. Foaled and raised at Yarraman Park, Born to Rock fetched $210,000 at the 2008 Magic Millions National Weanling Sale when purchased by Gwent Holdings and is a full sister to this season’s stakes-placed two year-old Cindarockinrella. Born to Rock is the first stakes-winner for blue-blooded import Call Me Pretty (USA), a half-sister by Peaks and Valleys to stakes-winners Tiger’s Rock and Warrior Queen, the dam of Group II winner AP Warrior tracing back to the family of Group I winner and champion sire Storm Bird. With his oldest progeny just four year-olds, Fastnet Rock has become one of the hottest sires in Australia and will stand at Coolmore this spring at a fee of $132,000.