The young Darley stallion was a brilliant Caulfield Guineas winner himself, rising to racetrack stardom after his third birthday, and his progeny are poised to follow a similar trajectory.
There could be no better time to get involved with the son of Northern Meteor. Already the sire of eight winners from his first crop of juveniles, he will stand for just $22,000 at Kelvinside, NSW, in 2019.
Shooting To Win is proving to be a particularly strong option for Fastnet Rock mares. That formula has produced two highly talented winners so far including the G1 performer, Kubrick.
Here are five reasons to send your Fastnet Rock mare to the exciting young Darley stallion.
1. Fastnet Rock crosses superbly with sons of Northern Meteor
From 21 foals, daughters of Fastnet Rock have produced 14 winners with sons of Northern Meteor – a remarkable ratio of 67%. These include Stakes winner Persuader, G1 placegetter Kubrick, G3 performer Barcali and Shooting To Win’s first winner, Intrepidacious.
2. Elusive Quality on the sire’s side, Danehill on the dam’s side
Elusive Quality is the damsire of Shooting To Win, while Danehill is the sire of Fastnet Rock. These two great sires have combined for outstanding results, producing superstars such as Guelph (G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes, Champagne Stakes, Flight Stakes, Thousand Guineas), Sepoy (G1 Golden Slipper, Manikato Stakes, Coolmore Stud Stakes), Alizee (G1 Flight Stakes, Queen of the Turf Stakes), Alampur (G1 Darco Rocha), Camarilla (G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes) and Ten Sovereigns (G1 Middle Park Stakes), plus this season’s brilliant two-year-old Dubious.
3. Encosta de Lago + Danehill = a proven G1 combination
The great Encosta de Lago is the sire of Northern Meteor, making him Shooting To Win’s grandsire. Encosta de Lago’s cross with the legendary Danehill has produced no fewer than 18 G1 winners, including champion sprinter Chautauqua, star sprinting filly Sunlight, Epsom and Doncaster winner Happy Clapper, Caulfield Guineas winner Mighty Boss, and the multiple G1 winner and sire Zoustar. This cross boasts a Stakes winners to runners ratio of 23%.
4. Value for money
Shooting To Win is not the only sire providing these potent crosses. Northern Meteor’s other high-class sire sons, Zoustar and Deep Field, are obvious examples who will rightly be in red-hot demand in 2019. However, the fees for that pair are $154,000 and $44,000 respectively, while Shooting To Win is available for just $22,000. Shooting To Win’s yearlings have sold for up to $300,000 this year, representing outstanding value at a highly affordable fee.
5. The best is yet to come
Shooting To Win showed plenty of talent as a two-year-old, winning his only two starts in May and June. But it was as a three-year-old that he really came into his own, beating Scissor Kick and Valentia in the G3 Stan Fox Stakes before his superb victory over Rich Enuff and Wandjina in the G1 Caulfield Guineas. He also placed in the G1 Golden Rose, G1 Randwick Guineas and G3 Ming Dynasty.
His progeny can be expected to do the same, and the promise they have shown as two-year-olds this season should be simply a taste of what’s to come.
