Coolmore sire Fastnet Rock can make inroads on High Chaparral at the top of the Australian second-season sires’ premiership when the Peter Moody trained Wanted starts in the $500,000 G1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley this Saturday.
Wanted (3c Fastnet Rock – Fragmentation by Snippets) deserves a big race victory after a close second to Nicconi in the G1 VRC Lightning Stakes at Flemington a fortnight ago. He was coming off a three month spell and another second to All Silent in the G1 VRC Patinack Farm Stakes on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
Wanted is raced by Sydney based owner Eddie Hayson and was previously prepared by John O’Shea for a G3 victory in the Kindergarten Stakes at Warwick Farm.
His dam Fragmentation was a Listed winner at Flemington and was also G3 placed at Moonee Valley in the C S Hayes Stakes. Second dam Southern Sprinter (Southern Appeal) is a winning sister to Listed Morphettville Guineas winner In The Mist. The latter is the dam of G2 VRC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner De Lago Mist (Encosta de Lago).
Wanted will be Moody’s sole representative in the William Reid after stablemate Black Caviar broke down at trackwork on Thursday morning.
In revised markets for the Group 1 at Moonee Valley on Saturday, Nicconi has firmed into $3.10 favouritism ahead of Wanted ($3.40), Shellscrape ($5), Light Fantastic ($6) and Snipers Bullet ($9).
Fastnet Rock is high-balling on top of the Australian winners’ category (39) for second season sires but is nearly $900,000 in arrears on the prizemoney list behind So You Think’s sire High Chaparral.
Fastnet Rock followers would have expected the Mark Kavanagh trained colt We’re Gonna Rock to help his sire make inroads on that deficit but he has been sent for a spell after failing first-up at Moonee Valley last Friday night.
We’re Gonna Rock (3c Fastnet Rock-Harrow by Dehere) looked a world-beater when he won the Fiesta Star Hcp (1000m) at Flemington on debut in December. The colt was valued at $10 million by one Hunter Valley stud with a view to him winning the G1 Australian Guineas.
The Australian Guineas at Flemington on March 6 is also the target of Irish Lights who garnered a Group 1 first for her sire in the MRC One Thousand Guineas at Caulfield in October.
Irish Lights (3f Fastnet Rock – Aspen Falls by Hennessy) disappointed first-up in the G3 Rubition Stakes at Caulfield last Saturday and bookmakers immediately extended her Australian Guineas quote to $21.
Fastnet Rock’s off-shore account also drew a blank in South Africa on Tuesday night when Curved Ball was unplaced in the G3 Tony Ruffel Stakes (1400m) at Turffontein.
Curved Ball (3c Fastnet Rock-Curvaceous by Zabeel) won the G2 Dingaans Hcp and Listed Sea Cottage Stakes during his previous prep and was far from disgraced first-up over 1400m behind Pierre Jourdan (Parade Leader).
The Charles Laird trained colt did have to concede weight all round on Tuesday night and local reports suggest he can bounce back when stretched out to a mile and further. He is out of a Zabeel mare from the family of G1 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero.
Curved Ball was bred by Bart Cummings and the late Bill Wyllie and cost $200,000 at the 20008 Magic Millions National yearling sale. When Laird returned to the Gold Coast this year, he told Coolmore Stud’s Sebastian Hutch the colt would be set for the South African classics this year. “Curved Ball could be something out of the ordinary,” Laird said. “We still don’t known how good he is.”
This week’s setbacks are nothing more than a speed-bump for Fastnet Rock…especially if Wanted comes out and wins the William Reid.
Fastnet Rock (Danehill) was a late addition to Coolmore’s northern hemisphere line-up when their stallions flew back to Ireland last month. He is hot property and the lack of a European profile won’t affect his popularity in Co. Tipperary.