Fascinating Rock Takes Champions in Upset
Description:
Fascinating Rock, owned and bred by Maurice Regan's Newtown Anner Stud, won the first group I event of his career Oct. 17 when he rallied to an upset victory in the QIPCO Champions Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at Ascot in England.
The 4-year-old colt by Fastnet Rock out of the Polar Falcon mare Miss Polaris won by 1 1/4 lengths in defeating 12 others in the about 1 1/4-mile stakes while finishing in 2:06.31. Three-year-old filly Found finished second for the fifth time this year and even-money favorite Jack Hobbs was third.
Settled toward the rear as Maverick Wave set a sizzling pace, Fascinating Rock was brought from the middle of the pack in the straight to reach contention but still had plenty of work to do. A sustained rally, however, propelled him to the front inside the final furlong to get the win. Found came from last to take the runner-up spot from Jack Hobbs, who led over a quarter mile out but was bested.
Trained by Dermot Weld and ridden by Pat Smullen, Fascinating Rock had four group III wins in his native Ireland heading into the Champions Stakes. Earlier this year he just missed winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-I).
"Fascinating Rock has always had the potential to do what he did today, and I had this race planned for about six months," Weld said. "We knew it would be softer in the autumn, and he loves soft ground, and he was a decent horse in the spring.
"He was only just beaten by Al Kazeem in May's Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-I), with King George winner Postponed in third, then we left him off for the summer, giving him time by the banks of the River Suir."
Fascinating Rock came in off an open-lengths victory in the JPMG Enterprise Kilternan Stakes (Ire-III) Sept. 12 at Leopardstown and improved to 7-1-0 from 12 career starts.
"He won by six lengths on Irish Champions' Day at Leopardstown and I was impressed with the way he did it, and then we stuck with the original plan which was this race today," Weld said. "The plan was to ride him off the pace and I told Pat to give him time and hunt away on him and he came home in front."