Fastnet Rock Colt Wins $500,000 Inglis Nursery

Tara Madgwick - Saturday December 12

The $500,000 Inglis Nursery (1000m) at Randwick on Saturday has proven a launching for subsequent Golden Slipper winners She Will Reign and Mossfun as well as Blue Diamond winner Extreme Choice with this year’s winner Acrobat showing all the attributes of a future superstar.

Advertisement

Acrobat wins the $500,000 Inglis Nursery - image Steve Hart

Passed in at Inglis Easter shy of his $1million reserve, Fastnet Rock colt Acrobat was retained to race by Coolmore and partners and sent to the powerful Ciaron Maher and David Eustace stable.

He showed good ability in two recent trials and fitted with blinkers for his race day debut jumped out of the ground for James McDonald to power clear and win by more than two lengths in a slick 56.02 seconds.
 



“He floats across the ground, he has a beautiful mind and a good action, he’ll make a proper racehorse,” said James McDonald.

Ciaron Maher was thrilled with the performance.

“I was involved with his mother and she was a great racehorse, so for him to come to his first start and do that is very satisfying,” Maher said.

“Horses that race like him make their own luck, so it’s a huge advantage and I couldn’t be happier.”

Hips Don't Lie was a ripper of a 2YO winning  the 2008 G2 Reisling Stakes - image Mark Smith.

Foaled and raised at Coolmore, Acrobat is the seventh winner from seven foals to race from Hips Don’t Lie, a former brilliant two year-old by Stravinsky (USA) that won the Group II STC Reisling Stakes.

All of her seven foals to race have been by Fastnet Rock and they include Group III winner Ennis Hill, Group I placed stakes-winner Lake Geneva and stakes-placed Memphis Rock with Acrobat her third stakes-winner.

Memphis Rock won at Flemington on Saturday to give the family a winning double!

 

Acrobat as a yearling.

Hips Don’t Lie had a change of pace in 2018, so has a yearling filly by I Am Invincible and was covered by Triple Crown hero Justify (USA) earlier this spring after missing to him last year.

Acrobat is the 165th stakes-winner for Coolmore’s champion sire Fastnet Rock and is his second juvenile stakes-winner  of the new season joining Sneaky Five.


 

Advertisment

Race Result - Inglis Nursery RL 1000m

Randwick Track: Good(3) Time: 0:56.02
1
Acrobat
- 2c Fastnet Rock (AUS) x Hips Don't Lie (NZ) (Stravinsky (USA))
Tnr: C Maher & D Eustace Rdr: J B Mc Donald 56
Fastnet Rock
2
2.3
Ashema
- 2f I Am Invincible (AUS) x Omniscient (AUS) (Exceed And Excel (AUS))
Tnr: Annabel Neasham Rdr: Rachel King 54
I Am Invincible
3
4.8
Mission Value
- 2c Capitalist (AUS) x Maglissa (AUS) (Magnus (AUS))
Tnr: Mark Newnham Rdr: J Parr 56
4
5.0
Overmann
- 2g Hinchinbrook (AUS) x Zakayla (GB) (Aqlaam (GB))
Tnr: M, W & J Hawkes Rdr: Tommy Berry 56
5
5.5
Collier Bay
- 2f Capitalist (AUS) x Joy Of Flight (AUS) (Flying Spur (AUS))
Tnr: A J Cummings Rdr: R Dolan 54
6
6.5
Festival Dancer
- 2f Choisir (AUS) x Festival Princess (IRE) (Barathea (IRE))
Tnr: Matthew Smith Rdr: Tom Sherry 54
7
8.5
Belle O'Ballee
- 2f Star Witness (AUS) x Sagrada (NZ) (Perfectly Ready (AUS))
Tnr: P & P Snowden Rdr: K Mc Evoy 54
8
8.6
Volcanic Rock
- 2c Hinchinbrook (AUS) x Heat Of The Fire (AUS) (Strategic (AUS))
Tnr: G Waterhouse & A Bott Rdr: Tim Clark 56
9
9.8
Contentedly
- 2f More Than Ready (USA) x Tale Of Choice (AUS) (Redoute's Choice (AUS))
Tnr: G Portelli Rdr: Ms K O'Hara 54
10
10.3
Shocking Force
- 2f Air Force Blue (USA) x Little Shocker (NZ) (Shocking (AUS))
Tnr: C E Conners Rdr: J Ford 54
11
11.5
Turboart
- 2c Flying Artie (AUS) x Excellent Lady (AUS) (Exceed And Excel (AUS))
Tnr: Annabel Neasham Rdr: J R Collett 56
12
12.7
Maralago
- 2c Sebring (AUS) x Martilago (AUS) (Encosta De Lago (AUS))
Tnr: A J Cummings Rdr: Regan Bayliss 56
More Reading...
Cambridge Stud to Sell Entire Draft at Karaka 2026
Leading thoroughbred nursery Cambridge Stud have committed their full support for NZB’s 2026 National Yearling Sales Series, with the announcement they will be selling 100% of their yearling stock at Karaka. 
Flying Artie 2YO Wins by Four!
Blue Gum Farm have an appealing roster of three sires for this spring and while it’s all in front of Sejardan and Oxley Road, proven favourite Flying Artie remains unbeatable value and the G1 sire produced a four length 2YO winner on Thursday.
Irish Oaks Possible for Royal Ascot Fairytale Filly
The biggest story in terms of our audience reads from Royal Ascot last week was by far and away the one on the Aussie owned underdog three year-old filly Cercene, who captured the Group I Coronation Stakes.
$190,000 Per Incanto Colt Heads Vibrant Weanling Sale
The  2025 National Weanling Sale saw its first dual-code weanling session in play at Karaka, with a total aggregate of $2,410,000 outlaid across 84 lots by a strong domestic buying bench plus international support from Australia, Hong Kong and China.
Coles Bows Out After 60 Years
Pukekohe’s Wednesday meeting marked the end of an era for Auckland Thoroughbred Racing, as Ross Coles, a treasured figure in the industry, retired after 60 years as Clerk of the Course.
Profondo Weanlings Impress
The first progeny of Windsor Park Stud stallion Profondo made a favourable impression during the NZB National Weanling Sale at Karaka on Thursday.
Mulberry Racing Secure Everest Slot
Racing NSW today announced that Mulberry Racing has secured a slot in the $20 million TAB Everest for a term of three years commencing with the running of this year’s race.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Randwick
Trial action was at Randwick on Friday and there were six heats for juveniles that included some interesting unraced youngsters highlighted by the full brother to a promising young sire, a well bred son of Farnan and an Extreme Choice filly.
Do Early Winners Equate to Long Term Stud Success?
As we move towards the end of the racing season, attention invariably focuses on first season sires and who will be the leader of the cohort by winners and it’s a close run race this year, but does any of it matter in the grand scheme of things?
Promising 2YOs for Pike
Tony Pike found it difficult to split his juvenile charges the last time they took each other on and it’s the same story at Ruakaka.