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Queensland's Raheen Stud has secured exciting Fastnet Rock colt, Heroic Valour for stud duties.
The only Group One-winning 2YO by Fastnet Rock at stud in Australia, Heroic Valour was an outstanding performer who won the Gr.1 ARC Diamond Stakes (1200m) in lightning fast time and would also ran third in the Gr.1 NZ Two Thousand Guineas (1600m).
Indeed, the well related Heroic Valour was unbeaten as a 2YO, capturing the Listed Matamata Slipper (1200m) leading into the Gr.1 Diamond.
Consistently racing against the elite, Heroic Valour would compete 16 times at black type level from only 19 starts, producing four wins and a further 12 top four finishes.
Racing out of the all-powerful Te Akau Racing stable, Heroic Valour would campaign in Australia too, running a lip second to multiple Group Two winner, Savanna Amour, in the Gr.3 Gold Coast Guineas (1200m).
Aside from being by a champion sire and sire of sires in Fastnet Rock (137 stakes winners), Heroic Valour is from the prolific Nassipour mare, Myrrh, and a half-brother to Group One Doncaster Handicap winner, Triple Honour (7 wins of $2.2 million).
Bred and raised at Coolmore Stud, Heroic Valour would be sold at the 2015 New Zealand Premier Yearling Sale through the draft of Curraghmore where he was eventually knocked down to Te Akau's David Ellis for $400,000.
Leading bloodstock agent and Coolmore consultant, James Bester, remembers Heroic Valour well, particularly for his "never-say-die attitude".
"He was a very nice yearling – good bodied, plenty of size, scope and strength, with a great action," Bester enthused. "They were all attributes which came to the fore as a racehorse … he always set out after them with a real mission. A very gutsy galloper and he should do very well at Raheen Stud."
Ensuring his availability to all breeders, Heroic Valour will stand at an introductory fee of $7,700 inc. GST.
"All of us at Raheen Stud are really excited at the prospect of standing Heroic Valour," Raheen Stud's manager, Basil Nolan Jnr, points out.
"We believe he is very competitively priced at $7,700, particularly as he is a Group One winning, unbeaten 2YO who trained on at three, along with being a well related son of Fastnet Rock who already has the runs on the board as a sire of sires through his sons Foxwedge, Hinchinbrook, Your Song and Smart Missile.
"Heroic Valour should really capture the imagination of not only Queensland breeders, but broodmare owners throughout Australia and some lifetime breeding rights will be made available in the horse." -breednet.com.au
