By Lydia Symonds

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Fastnet Rock (Danehill), one of Australia’s most influential stallions, has died at the age of 24, Coolmore Australia announced on Monday morning. 

“Sadly, earlier today our much-loved champion sire Fastnet Rock was humanely euthanized at Coolmore, his place of birth and home for the past 20 years. In that time, Fastnet Rock forged a legacy that will see him recognized as one of the greatest stallions Australia has ever produced,” said Coolmore’s Tom Magnier. 

“Coolmore Australia would not be what it is today without Fastnet Rock and we owe him so much. 

“Sadly, he suffered an injury over the weekend, which deteriorated rapidly and we did not want him to suffer. He was born and prepared as a yearling here at Coolmore and raced in the navy silks for Paul Perry and our ownership partners.”

Bred by Linley Investments and partners and raised at Coolmore, Fastnet Rock was out of Group 3-winning juvenile Piccadilly Circus (Royal Academy) and, after being led out of the ring unsold at the 2003 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, he was retained to race by the Magnier family’s operation and their partners.

Sent into training with Paul Perry, Fastnet Rock ran seven times as a juvenile and while he completed that campaign as a maiden, he did produce some solid efforts to finish second in both the Skyline Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) and Pago Pago Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), while he also ran third in the Sires’ Produce Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m). 

After opening his three-year-old year with a runner-up finish in the San Domenico Stakes (Gr 2, 1000m), Fastnet Rock got off the mark with a victory in the Up & Coming Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), which he duly followed up with a Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) triumph. 

He won back-to-back Group races over the Flemington carnival later that spring and then returned in the autumn to announce himself as Australia’s champion sprinter of that year, winning both the Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) and the Oakleigh Plate (Gr 1, 1100m) before finishing runner-up in the Newmarket Handicap (Gr 1, 1200m) and TJ Smith Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).

He was retired to stud after travel sickness thwarted Coolmore’s plans to run him at Royal Ascot. 

While his feats on the racetrack were impressive, they were quickly eclipsed by his ability in the breeding shed. Like his father Danehill (Danzig), Fastnet Rock went on to be crowned champion sire of Australia on two occasions, first in 2011/2012 then again in 2014/2015. He was pensioned last year. 

Magnier added: “Residing in the stallion barn for 20 years, he was the kindest and smartest horse you would ever meet and I’m so glad that we got to parade him one last time at the open day two weeks ago, where he looked incredible.

“This is such a sad day for everyone who has worked at Coolmore and played a part in Fastnet’s life. Our thoughts today are with all the staff who cared for him over the past 24 years.”

Fastnet Rock’s global reach was secured when he began shuttling to Coolmore’s Irish base in 2010, a journey he would undertake for the next 11 seasons, standing his final year in Europe in 2021.

In the southern hemisphere, Fastnet Rock’s 1145 winners are headed by 140 stakes scorers, led by 35 Group 1 winners. The group is led by Australia’s newly minted Horse Of The Year, Via Sistina, who is one of his 11 elite-level winners bred in the northern hemisphere. The Chris Waller-trained mare will shoot for her 11th top-flight win in Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Flemington.

Globally, he is responsible for 197 stakes winners, headlined by a record-breaking 44 Group 1 winners, the most of any Australian-bred stallion.

While able to sire top-class horses of either sex, he will perhaps be best remembered for his ability to produce top-class fillies with 88 of his total number of stakes winners being female and featured among them are household names such as a Avantage, Atlantic Jewel, Sea Siren, Catchy, winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m), Irish Lights and Unforgotten to name a small few.

Peter O’Brien, who worked for Coolmore for over 35 years, said the stallion was very much like his father Danehill.

“It is very sad and it’s the end of an era. He was the closest thing in temperament to Danehill – that’s the best way to describe him,” he told ANZ News. 

“Danehill was a puppy dog and Fastnet was the same. I was thinking about it this afternoon; I was there when they bought his mother, I was there when he was conceived, I was there when he was born and he’s not only been a large part of my life, but a lot of people’s lives. Lots of people have fond memories of the horse.

“He was exactly what the farm needed when he came along. To have him and Encosta De Lago, that was the cement that was needed at the beginning of Coolmore Australia. He was born and bred on the stud so he’s a full life cycle horse and he’s the embodiment of the farm.”

O’Brien said he was a very relaxed horse, a trait he believes he has instilled into many of his progeny. 

“Whenever he raced he was so relaxed and he would fall asleep in the tie ups. His appetite was also insatiable, I’ve never seen a horse eat like it, even to this day,” he said.

Expanding on what makes his progeny so successful, O’Brien said: “Temperament, substance, action and they are all just absolutely bombproof.”

Fastnet Rock’s legacy has been secured by his daughters, who have produced 150 stakes winners in total and these numbers are spearheaded by 16 Group 1 winners including Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Lady Of Camelot (Written Tycoon), Zougotcha (Zoustar) and the northern hemisphere-bred Warm Heart (Galileo), winner of the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) and Prix Vermeille (Gr 1, 2400m). 

Such is his influence, Fastnet Rock has been champion broodmare sire in Australia for the past two seasons, breaking records for the progeny earnings of his daughters.

O’Brien said: “He has already been champion broodmare sire twice, champion sire twice – he has done everything.

“When I first came to Segenhoe we tried to get as many Fastnet Rock mares as possible and a lot of them are now our best producers. It is a beautiful, fitting tribute to him that at 24 years of age, Via Sistina was horse of the year in Australia. When she got horse of the year I thought a lot of the younger people coming through the industry now probably wouldn’t realise what an important horse he is, but Via Sistina just really franks it for the younger generation.”

Coolmore were able to show off Fastnet Rock one last time at their annual stallion parade two weeks ago and O’Brien said he looked fantastic. 

“I said to Tom [Magnier] that he is an absolute testament to the bedrock of Coolmore how they look after and care for them. I couldn’t believe how well he looked two weeks’ ago. It is a testament to the Magnier family and his owners and particularly all the lads through the years who have looked after him,” he said.

Fastnet Rock factfile

Champion Sire Titles 2011/2012 and 2014/2015

Broodmare Sire Titles 2023/2024 and 2024/2025

Starters 2596

Winners 1671

Wins 4574

Group 1 winners 44

Stakes winners 197

Group winners 124

2YO stakes winners 41

Broodmare sire stakes winners 150

Coolmore Stud Stakes winners Merchant Navy (2017) and Nechita (2012)

Best progeny Via Sistina, Avantage, Atlantic Jewel, Mosheen, Shoals, Sea Siren, One Master, Merchant Navy, Fascinating Rock

$1 million+ yearlings 34 

Top-priced yearling $4 million (Emaratee in 2013)

Group 1-siring sons  – 4 Foxwedge, Hinchinbrook, Smart Missile and El Roca.