Star Fastnet Filly Fires into Spring

Tara Madgwick - Saturday September 9
Australia's best bred filly Shoals kept her unbeaten record intact when resuming from a spell to win the Listed MVRC Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Shoals - Grant CourtneyThe Anthony Freedman trained filly dodged the Blue Diamond and Golden Slipper last season, but still came away with three stylish wins at her only starts culminating with a narrow victory over another top class Fastnet Rock filly Formality in the Group II ATC Percy Sykes Stakes at Randwick.

She stalked the leader Blondie and then overpowered her in the run to the line to win the 1200 metre sprint by three-quarters of a length.

Winning rider Mark Zahra has now been aboard the filly in three of her four wins, so has a good insight into the blue-blooded filly.

"I wouldn't say she's doing it half hearted but every time she gets to the front, she just pricks her ears and she doesn't put them away," Zahra said.

"She's doing it pretty easy but I reckon if something challenged her she would've found a lot more today.

"If you see her coat, you'll know she's got a bit to go because she's a bit burly as well, but we were able to get a soft enough run on the speed and coming to the bend I didn't think there was any way we'd get beaten."

Group I goals will be on the agenda for Shoals, but whether that involves a step up in distance to the 1600 metres of the MRC Thousand Guineas or back to 1200 metres for the VRC Coolmore Stud Stakes remains to be seen.

Her next appearance will likely come in the Group II MRC Thousand Guineas Prelude over 1400 metres, which should shed some light on what will ultimately be her preferred journey.

Fastnet RockShoals was retained to race by her breeders Arrowfield Stud and Jonathan Munz and is the first foal of The Broken Shore, who was bought by Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock for $1.9 million at the Magic Millions Teeley Assets Dispersal in 2014.

A metropolitan winner by Hussonet (USA), The Broken Shore is a half-sister to Group I winners Redoute's Choice, Manhattan Rain and Platinum Scissors as well as Group III winner Sliding Cube and stakes-winner Echoes of Heaven.

The Broken Shore has been to Fastnet Rock in three seasons running and was covered last spring by Medaglia D'Oro (USA).

Shoals brought up a stakes double for champion sire Fastnet Rock, who also tasted success at Rosehill where Deploy scored a record breaking win in the Group II ATC Theo Marks Stakes. Click here to read about him.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Gringotts Continues Kiwi Winning Run in $1million The Gong
Kiwi bred Gringotts continued his coming-of-age campaign with a powerhouse front-running performance under 60kg to win Saturday’s Group III A$1 million The Illawarra Mercury Gong (1600m) at Kembla Grange.
Barnstorming Win by Headwall in the Warra
The super-consistent Headwall reaped a just reward in the $300,000 Group III Snap Print Solutions Wollongong The Warra (1000m) at Kembla Grange.
Another Feature Win for La Crique
La Crique sprouted wings in the Pukekohe straight on Saturday to come from a near-hopeless position and win the Gr.2 Dunstan Horsefeeds Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) in a photo finish.
Storyville Downs the Colts in G2 WA Guineas
The WA Champion Fillies Stakes heroine Storyville earned a shot at the Group 1 Northerly Stakes after she gave the colts a start and beating in Saturday’s $500,000 Group II White Claw - WA Guineas (1600m) at Ascot.
Yes Yes Yes Filly wins $100,000 Crystal Slipper
The $100,000 WATC Magic Millions Crystal Slipper (1100m) at Ascot on Saturday drew a competitive field of 13 and Yes Yes Yes filly Yes Queen produced a brilliant performance to score a dominant debut victory.
$1million Fastnet Rock Colt Chasing Karaka Million 3YO
Victorian trainer David Hayes will be in New Zealand later this week as he puts the finishing touches on three-year-old colt Conqueror ahead of Saturday’s $1 million Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m).
Kiwi Bred Comeback King Globe wins Cranbourne Cup
The super-talented Globe put a troubled 14 months behind him with a powerful all-the-way win in Saturday’s A$500,000 Listed Cranbourne Cup (1600m).
Xtravagant Gelding Nadal Brilliant in Meteorite
Ciaron Maher has a stranglehold on pop-up and slot races and was back in the winner's circle again after the inaugural running of the $1,000,000 The Ladbrokes Meteorite (1200m) at Cranbourne.
Godolphin Make Their Move
The first two days at Magic Millions were without a Godolphin purchase, but they moved swiftly in the first hour of trade on Friday to secure two fillies by Fastnet Rock and Snitzel for $600,000 each.
Better Than Ready's Port Lockroy Triumphs in G1 Railway Stakes
Interstate visitors have a poor winning record in the $1,500,000 Group 1 Swan Draught - Railway Stakes, but Port Lockroy played his part in squaring the ledger when choosing the perfect spot to end a run of bad luck in stakes races.