The Jewel of the Championship

The New Zealand Bloodstock Spring WFA Championship at Caulfield concluded on Saturday with Atlantic Jewel (Fastnet Rock) a dominant winner of the Group 1 A$400,000 Cathay Pacific Caulfield Stakes (2000m), collecting the Championship title.

Atlantic Jewel took out the NZB  Spring WFA Championship at Caulfield with victory in the Group 1 Caulfield Stakes.

In a small field of five horses that was packed full of Group 1 form, the daughter of Fastnet Rock adopted new riding tactics as Michael Rodd elected to position the Mark Kavanagh trained mare near the tail of the field.

The field raced in single file for most of the 2000m journey with the David Hayes trained Spacecraft setting the early pace and at one point Atlantic Jewel looked to be around eight lengths off the leader.

When the field entered the straight they had packed up and Rodd was within striking distance on the hot favourite who swooped to lead with 200m to go. Rodd rode the mare out to the line, winning by four-lengths from Foreteller (Dansili) in second and Super Cool in third (Fastnet Rock).

The five-year-old mare is the horse of the moment in Australia having won 10 out of her 11 career starts, her only defeat coming three weeks earlier when beaten by the barest of margins by (It’s a) Dundeel (NZ).

 “It is probably justified now that she is probably the best racehorse in Australia at the moment,” stated part-owner and Coolmore Stud representative Michael Kirwan.

“She is the one with all the limelight. It was a spectacular win and I know there were doubters out there that argue that she couldn’t stay a strong 2000m but all she can do is win and she won very convincingly. She is now in with a great chance to possibly win the Cox Plate in two weeks’ time.

“What a great job by Mark Kavanagh to get her back from her injury. This time around she has run four times, won three, and she has been second once, beaten a short margin in the Underwood.

“It has been quite remarkable what she has done in my mind from where she was 18 months ago.”

Kirwan was full of praise for the WFA Championship initiative.

“I have to take my hat off to New Zealand Bloodstock, when they do something they do it right.

“That’s what racing needs, generous sponsors like New Zealand Bloodstock, they are very nice people and they deserve any accolades they get. We are very grateful for the prizes for winning the Series, they were very generous and I thought they were lovely myself.“

Atlantic Jewel races in the famous Coolmore Stud colours and has won four Group 1 races now earning A$1,587,925 for her owners Coolmore, Mr L M Macri, Mr M J Kirwan, Mrs M Texier, Mr C Murphy, Mr M V Magnier, & Mr D L O'Byrne.

With the scratching of (It’s a) Dundeel before acceptances, Atlantic Jewel went into the race with an unassailable lead in the Championship and finished with 28 points. (It’s a) Dundeel finished second in the Championship with 14 points, ahead of Super Cool who picked up a further six points on Saturday for finishing third and ended on 12 points.

Horses competed in four WFA races at Caulfield over an eight week period with A$1.37 million in prizemoney on offer along with trophies to the value of $25,000. Atlantic Jewel competed in three of the legs, winning two of them and was narrowly beaten in the other on her way to claiming the Championship.

It was the third year that New Zealand Bloodstock has partnered with Caulfield for the Spring WFA Championship and Atlantic Jewel became the first Australian-bred winner following the success of Ocean Park (NZ) last year and Lights of Heaven (NZ) taking out the inaugural running of the Championship.