Star Fastnet Filly Beats the Colts

A brilliant winner of the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes at two, powerhouse filly Catchy (3f Fastnet Rock x Cats Whisker, by Fusaichi Pegasus) is no stranger to beating up on the colts and she did it again at Flemington on Saturday when surging clear to win the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes. The 1200 metre sprint featured a number of aspirational colts that were all put in their place by the glamour filly. Trained by the Hayes Dabernig partnership and ridden by Regan Bayliss, Catchy was a fitter filly following her narrow first up defeat last month and charged home from back in the field out wide to score a three-quarter length win over previously unbeaten Snitzel colt Jukebox. That pair managed to avoid the fallout from a nasty fall by Limestone, who came down heavily in the final furlong when making ground between runners.

Catchy will now look to step up in distance as she races towards another battle with the colts in the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas on October 14.

"If you go back and watch the Blue Diamond you see how powerful she was in the last 400 metres and she did that against the boys again today," David Hayes said. "At the moment she's probably favoured to take on the boys in the $2 million Guineas. "She'll run against the fillies next start and if she's as dominant again we'll take on the boys in the Guineas. "The Guineas is worth four times as much as the Thousand Guineas and twice as much fun."

A $220,000 Inglis Australian Easter purchase from the Coolmore draft for Robert Crabtree's Dorrington Farm, Catchy has now five of seven starts earning over $1.2 million in prizemoney.

Foaled and raised at Coolmore for her breeder Joy Jenkins, Catchy is the fourth winner from four foals to race from Group II winner Cats Whisker, a daughter of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus (USA). Coolmore sold the full sister to Catchy at Magic Millions this year for $700,000 to Alan Bell Racing and Cats Whisker has a yearling colt by Fastnet Rock. She was covered last year for the first time by a stallion other than Fastnet Rock visiting Golden Slipper winner Pierro. Catchy was the second Group winner for champion sire Fastnet Rock on Saturday following on from an earlier win for talented stallion Comin’ Through.