The Group I ATC Surround Stakes will be run at Randwick this Saturday and the winner of that race in 2018 was top class filly Shoals, whose full sister cast off maiden status with an impressive win at Kilmore on Thursday.
By champion sire Fastnet Rock from blueblood blue hen The Broken Shore, three year-old Fjord has been handled patiently by Anthony and Sam Freedman.
Unplaced on debut last spring, she was sent back to the paddock and returned to the races on February 10 to finish an unlucky third at Kilmore as favourite.
Punters were keen to forgive that defeat and she was backed into hot favouritism for the 1450m fillies and mares maiden and dished out a galloping lesson to her rivals.
Fjord raced away to win as she pleased doing her best work on the line with Damien Thornton in the saddle.
Retained to race by her breeders Arrowfield Stud and Jonathan Munz, Fjord is a full sister to triple Group I winner and $2.5million earner Shoals as well as stakes-winner Groundswell being the fifth winner from five foals to race from winning Hussonet (USA) mare The Broken Shore.
A half-sister to Group I winners Redoute’s Choice, Manhattan Rain and Platinum Scissors, The Broken Shore was bought for $1.9million at the 2014 Magic Millions Teeley Dispersal and has proved to be worth every penny.
She produced a colt by Written Tycoon last spring and was then covered by him again.
Arrowfield Stud will offer a stunning Dundeel colt from this revered family at Inglis Easter as Lot 473. He is the first foal of metro winning Fastnet Rock mare Tides, a full sister to Shoals and Groundswell, who topped Inglis Easter in 2018 when fetching $2.3million.
