Winning Return for Brilliant Fastnet Filly

Talented filly Sneaky Five (3f Fastnet Rock x Small Minds, by Canny Lad) kept her record at a perfect three for three when resuming from a lengthy spell at Caulfield on Saturday to win the Group III MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes (1200m).

Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Sneaky Five made a great start to her racing career last spring winning the $500,000 Inglis Banner on debut and then the $1million ATC Golden Gift in Sydney, both races on wet tracks, but the effort took a toll.

When she returned to training over the summer, Sneaky Five failed to show her true ability in two disappointing trials and trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace elected to give the filly a good long spell at Rosemont Stud, that decision now reaping rewards.

Easy in the market and ridden quietly from a wide gate by Linda Meech, Sneaky Five launched home out wide off the turn to score an impressive three-quarter length win and has now won $1million in prizemoney from just three starts.

“It’s great to see her bounce back from such a long time off the track, the whole team has done a great job to get her back and firing,” said David Eustace.

“To be honest we didn’t really expect that as she’s a bit of a sleeper at home, so she’ll come on plenty from this.”

Sneaky Five was offered at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale by her breeder Mr Pan Sutong’s Goldin Farms and was snapped up by Rosemont Stud for $305,000, the so called ‘sneaky five’ last bid securing her purchase!

Sneaky Five is a half-sister to stakes-winner Beautiful Mind and is the third winner from Group I SAJC Australasian Oaks winner Small Minds, whose two year-old colt by Fastnet Rock topped the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale this year when fetching $525,000 to the bid of Tony Fung Investments/Annabel Neasham Racing.