Highly Recommended, a Group 2 wining son of Fastnet Rock has been retired from racing and is on ther stud market.
Photo by Racing and Sports
“His future now lies in the breeding barn," said his trainer Peter Moody.
Highly Recommended career highlight came in last year’s G2 Alister Clark Stakes at Moonee Valley when he relegated Derby winners Ethiopia and Sangster into the minor placings.
However Highly Recommended's career was derailed at his next start in the G1 Rosehill Guineas when suffered an injury diagnosed as a horizontal fracture to a knee.
“We gave him a six month break and tried him again as a four-year-old. He was beaten only a length
and a half in the Villiers second up, and this effort encouraged us to keep persevering,": Moody said."However after some subsequent below par efforts we could see he wasn’t showing his true potential and
Highly Recommended's career included a debut win as a two-year-old at Flemington over 1000m, a photo finish defeat by Galah in the Carbine Club Stakes at Flemington, a third to champion filly Mosheen and close up finishes inb the Australian Guineas and Sandown Guineas.
Highly Recommended was bred by Turangga Stud and is out of the farm’s “Blue Hen” mare Suggestive.
Suggestive is an elite broodmare, being a member of a select band of Australian mares to have produced five stakes winners.
Her stakes winners are headed by G1 Emirates Stakes victress Sky Cuddle, G3 winner Sky Love, Listed
winner Hint and Highly Recommended’s brother Undeniably, a Listed winner and recently fourth in the G1 Newmarket Handicap and G1 bOakleigh Plate.Randwick Bloodstock’s Brett Howard is fielding stud offers for Highly Recommended and expects considerable interest based on the popularity of young Fastnet Rock stallions like Wanted, Foxwedge, Smart Missile and Stryker.
“At this point in time it appears very likely Highly Recommended will be Fastnet Rock’s only Group winning son to retire to stud in Australia for the coming season," Howard said.
