Coolmore’s evergreen stallion Fastnet Rock’s exceptional talent as a broodmare sire is already clear, even as this chapter of his career is emerging, and on Saturday he added two new stakes winners to his tally, when Zougotcha (Zoustar) landed the G1 Flight S. at Randwick, while Platinum Jubilee (Zoustar) saluted in the G3 Gimcrack S.
Fastnet Rock, a son of the influential Danehill (USA), retired to stud in 2005 and since his time in the time-honoured Coolmore breeding shed the stallion has racked up 189 stakes winners worldwide, headed by 42 Group 1 winners.
Fastnet Rock | Standing at Coolmore
Meanwhile, 71 stakes winners have been produced by his daughters and 52 of those have come in the Southern Hemisphere and they are spearheaded by five top-flight winners.
The stallion’s influence as a broodmare sire is not surprising as history will tell you that top-class stallions generally do go on to become very successful broodmare sires, and Fastnet Rock, who is widely regarded as one of the best producers of fillies, is no different.
Since the turn of the season in Australia, Fastnet Rock’s daughters have produced 67 winners, headed by stakes winners and Zougotcha and Platinum Jubilee, are joined by G3 Scarborough S. winner Queen Of The Ball (I Am Invincible) - Platinum Jubilee’s half-sister and Fast Witness (Star Witness) - who took out the Listed MVRC Mitchell McKenzie S. in August.
Gallery: Stakes winners out of daughters of Fastnet Rock, images courtesy of the Image Is Everything
Broodmare sire on the rise
This run of good form as a broodmare sire sees the stallion sit second, by both winners and earnings, behind the great Encosta De Lago in the race to be crowned Australia’s Champion Broodmare Sire this season.
Over the past few seasons, Fastnet Rock has slowly been making in-roads on the Leading Broodmare table and enjoyed his best finish last season, completing the season in third (by winners), a tally that was bettered only by Encosta De Lago and Redoute’s Choice, with the latter having over 100 runners more, while he former had more than 200 additional runners.
| Lope de Vega | 13 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 23% | 12,591,000 |
| Galileo | 24 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 29% | 7,228,000 |
| Deep Impact | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 28% | 3,807,000 |
| Zoustar | 28 | 22 | 1 | 3 | 10% | 3,034,000 |
| High Chaparral | 12 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 25% | 2,895,000 |
| Written Tycoon | 26 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 11% | 1,878,000 |
| Shooting to Win | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 12% | 1,755,000 |
| All Too Hard | 12 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 16% | 1,652,000 |
| Equiano | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 16% | 1,257,000 |
| Domesday | 7 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 28% | 1,192,000 |
Table: Elite crosses for Fastnet Rock mares (>10% SW/R) ordered by progeny earnings
With both of his winners on Saturday, being by Widden Stud’s Zoustar, it takes the number of winners bred on that cross to three, with Listed winner Persuader also a product of a mating between a daughter of Fastnet Rock and the son of Northern Meteor.
Overall, the cross has produced 22 winners from 28 starters, and fires a stakes winners to runners rate of 10 per cent.
Zoustar | Standing at Widden Stud
Obviously, one of the best nicks for daughters of Fastnet Rock is when they are mated with Coolmore’s late breed-shaper Galileo (Ire) with this cross having produced 17 winners from 24 runners, headed by seven stakes winners including Group 1 winner Russian Emperor and Group 2 scorer High Definition (GB).
However Fastnet Rock’s most elite cross by earnings - over $12,591,469, with a superb strike rate from comparatively low numbers, is with Lope De Vega (Ire), who shuttled to the now defunct Patinack Farm in Australia for four seasons. During this stint he left 19 Southern Hemisphere-bred stakes scorers, including an impressive four top-flight winners.
One for Lucky Vega?
His Southern Hemisphere-bred Group 1 winners, Vega One, Vega Magic, Santa Ana Lane and Gytrash, with the latter two brilliant sprinters from daughters of Fastnet Rock in Fast Fleet and Miss Barley.
Lope De Vega (Ire) | Standing at Ballylinch Stud
Santa Ana Lane, is the top performer on this cross - winning 10 times in his career, headlined by wins in five Group 1s.
Globally, the Lope De Vega / Fastnet Rock cross has produced eight winners from 13 runners, headed by three stakes winners and two Group 1 winners, firing at a phenomenal stakes winners to runners strike rate of 23 per cent.
Meanwhile, the Lope De Vega / Fastnet Rock cross came to the fore once again when Faith In Humanity (Fr) landed the G3 Pebbles S. over 1600 metres at Belmont on September 18.
With Lope De Vega’s shuttling days now firmly behind him, breeders in Australasia are afforded the chance to use him on Southern Hemisphere time at his Irish home, Ballylinch Stud.
Another option is via his sire sons, which include the juvenile Group 1-winner Lucky Vega (Ire), who shuttles to Yulong Stud in Victoria and whose first crop of Southern Hemisphere-bred foals have just hit the ground.
He is covering his second book of mares at the Victorian operation for a fee of $19,250 (inc GST).
Lucky Vega (Ire) | Standing at Yulong Stud
Another sire son of Lope De Vega, Endless Drama (Ire) also stands in the southern state after racing successfully at Group level in Sydney and New Zealand. He is covering his second season at Larneuk Stud for a fee of $8800 (inc GST).
Deep Impact (Jpn) is another elite sire with representative sons in Australia to cross with Fastnet Rock mares. Saxon Warrior (Jpn) is at Coolmore Stud for $19,250 (inc GST), with the elite dual Group 1 winner having first juveniles hit the tracks this season, so it will be interesting to watch how the nick continues to evolve.
Leneva Park stand Deep Impact's son Fierce Impact (Jpn), who is in his second season at stud, while Tosen Stardom (Jpn) has his first crop 3-year-olds this season.
High Chaparral (Ire) is also proving elite - striking at 25 per cent stakes winners to runners, with his sons Dundeel (NZ) producing 10 winners from 14 runners and Toronado (Ire) striking at nine winners from 12 runners, looking likely to follow as strong nicks with Fastnet Rock mares as their careers evolve.
