Unbeaten Catchy Confirms Her Blue Diamond Claims
Coming from the back of the field, Catchy powered home late to defeat the talented Limestone (Helmet) by a nose with Arctic Angel (Hard Spun) another length and a quarter back in third place. Significantly, Catchy’s winning time of 1:03.64 was faster than the 1:03.78 recorded by the gelding Property (Starcraft) in the following Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (Gr 3, 1100m).
This was Catchy’s third Melbourne victory in three starts with the unbeaten filly becoming stakes winner 107 for her champion Coolmore-based sire Fastnet Rock (Danehill) who is enjoying perhaps his best ever season in terms of two-year-old winners with two or three others likely to oppose Catchy in the Blue Diamond Stakes.
Bred by popular Sydney identity Joy Jenkins, Catchy was sold in the Coolmore draft at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale to Rob and Sylvie Crabtree’s Dorrington Farm and now looks something of a bargain buy at her purchase price of $220,000 considering her pedigree.
Catchy’s cost looks more reasonable again after her year younger sister sold to Alan Bell for $700,000 last month at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Their dam Cats Whisker (Fusaichi Pegasus) foaled a Fastnet Rock colt last spring which we should see in a sale in 2018.
Unusually in this day and age Cats Whisker visited only one stallion, Fastnet Rock, in her first seven seasons at stud with all four of her foals to reach the racecourse becoming winners, three in metropolitan company (see accompanying catalogue pedigree). Last season, though, Cats Whisker had a change of partner when bred to Pierro (Lonhro) and is believed in foal.
Joy Jenkins bred and raced Cats Whisker, a very smart sprinter who scored two of her six wins as a two-year-old.
Cats Whisker won three Group races in Melbourne in 2009, the Let’s Elope Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m), Rose Of Kingston Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) and the WW Cockram Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m). She was also runner up to Gallica (Redoute’s Choice) in the 2008 Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and filled the same position in two Group Two races for fillies, earning a tick under $600,000 in prize money.
One of 25 stakes winners left by Kentucky Derby (Gr 1, 10f) winner Fusaichi Pegasus (Mr Prospector) as a result of seven shuttle seasons (2001 to 2007) he spent at Coolmore’s Hunter Valley farm, Cats Whisker probably ranks as his second best Australasian runner after multiple Group One winner Haradasun.
Cats Whisker’s stakes-placed dam Perfect Halo (Don’t Say Halo) was also bred and raced by Joy Jenkins and clearly clicked well with Fusaichi Pegasus as he was also sire of her stakes-placed sister Cat’s Pyjamas, a good winner in Melbourne and in Ireland.
The somewhat highly strung Fusaichi Pegasus has left 74 stakes winners throughout the world and his daughters have a good record as producers both in Australia and in the United States.
Mares by Fusaichi Pegasus have worked well with Fastnet Rock and other sons of Danehill (Danzig) and it should be noted that Albany Reunion (Fastnet Rock), winner of the ARC Easter Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) is bred on the same cross as Catchy while the wider Danehill/Mr. Prospector (Raise A Native) cross has achieved much success.
Catchy is linebred to Danzig (Northern Dancer) 3m x 4f and also carries a duplication of the three-quarter brothers Nijinsky (Northern Dancer) and The Minstrel (Northern Dancer), two horses who differed greatly as types.
Her dam Cats Whisker is linebred 3m x 4f to the influential sire Halo (Hail To Reason) so Catchy’s pedigree is one which fits her well to become a Group One winner in the future.