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Glenfiddich too good in Stutt Stakes at The Valley

The ever popular Fastnet Rock (Danehill) chalked up his 160th stakes winner on Friday as Glenfiddich (3 c ex Nothin But A Dream by First Defence) proved too classy in the Stutt Stakes (Gr 2, 1600m) and now looks set for a crack at the Caulfield Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) on October 10.

The colt landed one race as a juvenile when trained by Robbie Griffiths, but his record is much more impressive than that sole win suggests having finished second at stakes level on two occasions, including finishing a neck behind King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice) in the Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) on his final start as a two-year-old. 

The now Peter Moody-trained three-year-old also signalled he was a stakes winner in waiting when running third in the Memsie Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) on his seasonal debut.

After pinging the gates, Luke Nolan sent the colt to the front and he travelled easily through the 1600 metres contest. As the field rounded the turn, the colt was pressed by last start Ming Dynasty Handicap (Gr 3, 1400m) winner Holyfield (I Am Invincible), but he responded in fine style to come away with a two length victory over Cherry Tortoni (Night Of Thunder) - who headed Holyfield on the line - beating him by a head. 

The colt was purchased by former trainer Robbie Griffiths and Peter Ford for $200,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale from the Edinburgh Park draft and he is one of two winners out of First Defence (Unbridled’s Song) mare Nothin But A Dream.

Nothin But A Dream herself is a daughter of Listed winner Darling Alice (Northern Flagship), who is in turn the grandam of last season’s Magic Millions 3YO Guineas (RL, 1400m) winner Eleven Eleven (Fastnet Rock). 

Alice Darling is also the grandam of multiple Listed winner Endrygol (Evolutionist) and fellow stakes scorer Piacenza (League Of Nations), who has also been purchased by Edinburgh Park. 

Edinburgh Park’s Ian Smith - who retained a share in the colt after he was sold the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale - told Racing & Sports Bloodstock he was over the moon to see the son of Fastnet Rock land a much deserved stakes success. 

“He was very unlucky not to land a stakes race as a juvenile, especially in the Champagne Stakes he actually had his head back in front after they passed the post,” said Smith. 

“I have been associated with this family for a long time and I went to source this family and I thought perhaps this guy had maybe been missed so I thought we should take 50 per cent of them.”

Smith said he was keen to purchase the colt’s dam having had a long association with the family and the mare’s from the family have become somewhat of a collectors item for the proprietor of the New South Wales-based farm. 

“I purchased Nothin But A Dream after she landed a claiming race in the US and then we sourced another one, her half-sister Alice’s Smart, who went through the ring at Keeneland and we purchased her off the buyer,” said Smith. “I started buying all the other mares and want to see if they worked in Australia and at the moment it looks like it is going OK for us.

“Three or four of her half-sisters are in foal to some of the best stallions in Australia and obviously we purchased stakes winner Piacenza out of South America and she came home via the US and was covered by Medaglia d’Oro and she has produced an exceptional filly and she will be retained for sure. We also purchased Quiet Kitten, who is also closely related, and she has got a cracking Exceed And Excel who is going to go to the sale next year.

“We have accumulated everything we wanted to do and hopefully it is going to work for us. We have spent a lot of money in this family and invested a lot and they have all gone to some of the best stallions in Australia: Fastnet Rock, Exceed And Excel and Zoustar the best of the best and that was a great win tonight.”

In 2018 Nothin But A Dream produced a brother to Glenfiddich, who sadly died, while this season she foaled a filly by Darley-based sire Exceed And Excel (Danehill). 

Smith said the filly is outstanding and that the mare would be covered by Fastnet Rock again this season. 

“The Exceed And Excel filly is exceptional and we are really excited about her,” said Smith. “She is only 20 days old now and she is a cracking filly. We will give her another crack at Fastnet Rock again and we are excited about going back to him again.”

Fastnet Rock is standing at Coolmore’s Jerrys Plains stud in the Hunter Valley for a fee of $165,000 (inc GST).