First Stakes Success for Fastnet Filly

Talented filly Casquets (2f Fastnet Rock x Suitely, by Woodman) scored a tenacious win in the Listed VRC Talindert Stakes at Flemington on Saturday at just her second start. Prepared by Mark Kavanagh, Casquets finished third on debut at the start of the month and has made strong improvement since then. Allowed to settle just off the pace out wide by Steven Baster, Casquets surged into contention over the final furlong and then outpointed the determined Annenberg to win the 1100 metre dash by a long head. Kavanagh said the way in which Casquets progressed in the next 72 hours would decide whether she backs up in seven days' time for the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes. "We left her pretty raw first-up,” Kavanagh said. "We just let her naturally improve and that should bring her on so we'll wait and see. ”There's a sense of timing with her right now so we'll see how she does over the weekend and work out whether we send her to the paddock or whether we go forward.” Casquets runs in the navy blue Coolmore colours and is owned by Coolmore and partners. She was a $570,000 NZB Premier purchase from the draft of Curraghmore Stud and is a half-sister to Group III placed Merensky Reef being one of four winners from Suitely, a half-sister by Woodman to Group II winner Flak Jacket. Suitely had a yearling filly by High Chaparral (IRE) sell for $310,000 at the NZB Premier Yearling Sale last month, has a filyl foal by the same sire and is now back in foal to Casquets sire Fastnet Rock. Casquets is the 41st stakes-winner for champion sire Fastnet Rock, who has seven yearlings to be offered at the upcoming 2013 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.