Australian supersire Fastnet Rock represented by first Northern Hemisphere winner

Champion and standout Australian commercial sire Fastnet Rock was represented by his first winner in the Northern Hemisphere on Monday, as his daughter Oriel broke her maiden at Windsor in England.

Oriel, who is trained by Richard Hannon for the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing syndicate, had a troubled start but recovered and rallied late to capture the five-furlong event for maiden 2-year-old fillies by a neck. She covered the distance in :59.50 on good to firm turf. The filly is out of the winning High Chaparral mare Labisa and is from the family of Group 2 winner Stimulation.

Fastnet Rock, a multiple Group 1 winner and millionaire, was Australia's champion sprinter of 2005, as he won the Lightning Stakes and Oakleigh Plate. The 12-year-old Danehill horse, who is based at Coolmore Australia, finished as Australia's leading sire for 2012, boosted atop the list by two champions. His unbeaten daughter Atlantic Jewel was a multiple Group 1 winner and earned honors as Australia's champion 3-year-old filly. Rock 'n' Pop was a Group 1 winner in New Zealand and was that country's champion 3-year-old colt.

Fastnet Rock is also represented by runners such as Group 1 winner Mosheen, who has earned nearly $2.9 million; Group 1-winning millionaires Sea Siren, Super Cool, and Wanted; and Speed Baby, winner of the Triple Crown in Malaysia. In all, from his first six crops of racing age, Fastnet Rock has sired 355 winners, including 45 stakes winners, for total progeny earnings of $45,082,769 through July 29, an average of $83,953.

Fastnet Rock has also proven to be a blockbuster commercial sire, as evidenced by some of his recent yearling successes in Australia. One of his sons, out of Group 1 winner River Dove, sold for about $4.22 million in U.S. funds during the second session of the Inglis Easter yearling sale, the second-highest price ever paid for an auction yearling in Australia. During the same sale, Fastnet Rock sired colts who sold for $2.51 million and $1.63 million, respectively.

At the Magic Millions Gold Coast yearling sale, Fastnet Rock was the sire of the three highest-priced horses at the opening session, then continued his dominance on the following day, as the hammer fell at $1.4 million on a colt out of Smart Company.