Jamie Richards-trained Fastnet Rock mare takes out the BCD Sprint

The 539074 Avantage (5 m Fastnet Rock - Asavant by Zabeel) added a seventh Group 1 to her record when she took out the Waikato Sprint (Gr 1, 1400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. 

The Group 1 had been touted to be a match-race between the daughter of Fastnet Rock (Danehill) and Levante (Proisir), but she put paid to her chances very early on in the contest when she missed the start by eight lengths, leaving an open goal for Avantage. 

Ridden by Opie Bosson, Avantage took the lead at the top of the straight and scooted clear of her rivals to beat Callsign Mav (Atlante) by three and a half lengths, while Mascarpone (Shooting To Win) was another nose away in third. 

“We wanted to ride her aggressively today, put her forward and if Levante was five lengths off us, she would have trouble picking us up,” he said.

“She is just a gutsy racehorse as you can ride her back, ride her forward and it doesn’t matter as she is just a gun.

“She is very similar to Melody Belle and she has now won seven group Ones and there is more in store for her.”

Trainer Jamie Richards, who prepares the mare for the Te Akau Avantage Syndicate, has his eyes on an Australian prize later in this current campaign.

“You never like to see what happened at the start because as racing enthusiasts you want to see it pan out on an even-playing field,” Richards said.

“Unfortunately, that’s how it goes sometimes and Avantage was able to put herself up in a good position and had them in trouble a long way from home.

“She is getting better now as she can put herself up in a race, which she couldn’t do before.

“She is just getting more professional each time and her big group of owners are having the ride of a lifetime.

“We’ll take a couple of days to think about things but there is the Group 1 at Otaki at the end of the month.

“I really do believe she has a Group 1 win in Australia in her and I would like to give her that opportunity.”

The daughter of Fastnet Rock (Danehill) was purchased for NZ$210,000 at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karka and she is out of Listed winner Asavant (Zabeel). 

Asavant herself is a daughter of Group 3 winner Pins ‘N’ Needles (Pins), making her a half-sister to Group 1 winner D B Pin (Darci Brahma). 

Avantage is one of 21 Group 1 winners and 167 stakes winners overall for Coolmore Stud-based for champion sire Fastnet Rock.