Rocket Spade lands New Zealand Derby - second year in a row the race has been won by a son of the Coolmore-based sire
Coolmore Stud's Fastnet Rock (Danehill) sired his 41st Group 1 winner on Sunday, as the Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Rocket Spade (3 c ex Affairoftheheart by Fusaichi Pegasus) landed a thrilling edition of the New Zealand Derby (Gr 1, 2400m) at Ellerslie.
Last seen winning the Avondale Guineas (Gr 2, 2100m) on February 20, having broken through at stakes level for the first time in the Auckland Guineas (Gr 2, 1600m) in January.
Ridden by Craig Grylls, Rocket Spade jumped smartly from the barriers and was placed at the back in the early part of the contest. As the field approached the 600 metre mark he was still yet to make his move, with a number of his rivals already feeling the pinch.
When Grylls asked Rocket Spade for his effort he responded in fine style to cut through his rivals, staying on impressively to beat Milford (Savabeel) by a neck, while Frontman (Makfi) was another nose away in third.
"This is pretty special for Andrew and all the team," O'Sullivan said.
"Scotty has done a great job with this horse and it's a great result.
"Paul (O'Sullivan's brother) found this horse at the sales and he keeps taking credit for it, so good on him.
"They went hard and Craig (Grylls) said he was going to ride him for luck as he believed in the horse.
"It was a no panic, ten out of ten ride, that won him the race."
O'Sullivan also thanked owners Hermitage Thoroughbreds, a racing and breeding operation headed by Hong Kong businessman Eugene Chuang.
"Thanks to team Hermitage who let us buy him at the sales," he said.
"They told us we had five years to buy them a Derby winner and we've done it.
"This horse probably has the genes to run further than Dragon Leap, who was a little brilliant for the Derby distance, and showed great stamina today."
Rocket Spade was purchased by Hermitage and Wexford Stables for $425,000 at the 2019 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale from the Tyreel Stud draft who offered him on behalf of his breeder Sun Stud.
"I remember when the yearlings arrived from Sun Stud that year and I was delighted," said Tyreel's Linda Monds.
"They were a well-grown, athletic group of horses and when they look as they did, it really does make the job at the sales much easier!
"Rocket Spade was always the pick of them, he was a favourite amongst the staff as he had a lovely demeanour, so it's great to see him go on and develop into a top-class racehorse."
The colt is out of six time-winning Listed-placed Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr Prospector) mare Affairoftheheart.
Affairoftheheart herself is the daughter of Listed winner Call Me Lily (Just A Dancer) and she also produced dual Group 1 winner Soriano (Savabeel) and Group 3 scorer Kaiser Franz (Savabeel).
Affairoftheheart's colt by Snitzel (Redoute's Choice) was purchased by Matt Dunn and Neil Jenkinson for $150,000 at last year's Inglis Premier Yearling Sale and he is now called Holstein and is unraced. The mare's 2019 colt by Sun Stud-based sire Thronum (Snitzel) was bought by Regal Thoroughbreds for $7,000 via the Inglis Digital Online August Sale and after missing to his barnmate National Defense (Invincible Spirit), she was covered again by that same sire last season.
Fastnet Rock is enjoying a good run of success registering 14 stakes winners in Australia and New Zealand this season and Rocket Spade becomes his third top-flight winner of the campaign, joining Advantage and Personal, while he is the third Group 1 winner out of a daughter of former shuttler Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr Prospector) joining Catchy and Albany Reunion.
