Atlantic Jewel confirmed her status as Australia’s best race filly with a stunning win in today’s Group One $500,000 Thousand Guineas (1600m) at Caulfield.
Racegoers were left searching for superlatives when the daughter of Fastnet Rock came with a run from near the back of the field, to circle the field and then race away for a three length success.
“I can’t (put it into words), she’s very good,” Kavanagh said of Atlantic Jewel – who now stretches her unbeaten record to four.
“These (kinds of horses) don’t come along very often.”
“She can do many things that I haven’t seen horses do before.”
“She put paid to them in a couple of strides and for her to be able to dominate like that, she is a very good horse.”
Kavanagh said he would not be tempted to run the filly in Australia’s premier weight-for-age contest, the Cox Plate.
“No, she is a very good filly. I don’t want to gut her.”
“I’ll discuss the matter with the owners later and probably recommend she goes to the paddock.”
“She is something else and we should probably give her a chance to get there.”
Atlantic Jewel was purchased by part owner, world renowned Irish based bloodstock agent Demi O’Byrne for $320,000 at last year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
The filly was presented at the auction on behalf of breeder Greg Perry by the team from Vinery Stud.
Winning rider Michael Rodd said the filly is clearly one of the most exciting gallopers in the country.
“She is freakish,” Rodd said. “Obviously I’ve got to take my hat off to Kav and the stable. They just get them to peak at the right time.”
“She came out of the barriers really well and I just let a few of them go from the outside.”
“I just wanted to make sure no matter where I was, I was one-off (the fence). The pace was on, it was very solid and I just waited until we got around the back there at the half mile, I just wanted to put her into contention.”
“If she was ridden properly and ridden a patient race you’d probably see the best of her but she is just that good you don’t want to risk anything with her and you can ride her nice and arrogantly.”
“On her last piece of work on Thursday morning, the work that she did, after that we came in and Kav just sort of shook his head and walked away and Merv Harvey, our stable foreman, he just said ‘freak’ and they just turned away.”
“They couldn’t even stand there. They were just blown away by the work she put in.”
“It’s just good to her here raceday and one piece just to show what she’s really got.”
Rodd, like most on track, is excited about Atlantic Jewel’s future.
“She’s still got a lot to learn, her ears are always flicking wherever she is and she’s still very green so it’s going to be very good to see what she can do this time next year.”
“She’s really laid back. She’s a massive, long filly so I think we could probably be talking Caulfield Cups this time next year, but she’s also very brilliant,” Rodd summed up.
Atlantic Jewel is a daughter of Danehill’s former outstanding sprinting son Fastnet Rock and is from a daughter of champion New Zealand based sire Zabeel.
Her dam Regard won two races at 1400 and 1600 metres and hails from the family of international Group One winning stars Pass the Peace, Embassy and King’s Apostle.
Atlantic Jewel is the 21st individual stakes winner for Fastnet Rock and clearly the most exciting.
Winner: Atlantic Jewel
Breeding: Fastnet Rock-Regard (Zabeel)
Race: MRC Thousand Guineas G1 (1600m)
Sold for: $320,000
Sale: 2010 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale
Vendor: Vinery Stud (As Agent)
Buyer: Demi O’Byrne
Earnings: $394,225
Owner(s): Coolmore (Mgr: Mrs S Magnier), Mr LM Macri, Mr MJ Kirwan, Ms M Texier, Mr C Murphy, Mr MV Magnier & Arkle (Mgr: D O’Byrne)
Trainer: Mark Kavanagh (Flemington)
