Fast New Stakes-Winner for Star Witness
Promising Star Witness colt Fast Witness confirmed the potential of his last start maiden win at Cranbourne when stepping successfully up to stakes class in the Listed MVRC Mitchell McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Fast Witness was second on debut at Geelong last month before breaking his maiden and then handled the heavy track to score a strong finishing head win for Ethan Brown.
Fast Witness nailed Shalaman on the post to win the Listed Mckenzie Stakes 🔥 @cmaherracing @TheValley pic.twitter.com/AvokoCTGUf
— Racing.com (@Racing) August 20, 2022
Entered for the Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas, Fast Witness has two wins and a second from three starts and has already won over $130,000 in prizemoney.
“I feel like he will get 1400 metres, that will be fine, but just whether he stays here and runs in the Exford Plate or the Guineas Prelude,” Eustace said.
“His win at Cranbourne was a ‘classic colt win’. He had the ability there but didn’t quite knuckle down to his task.
“He had worn blinkers prior to that at home, so they went on today.
“He jumped well, travelled nice and strong and got a lovely ride from Ethan who has been doing a lot of work through winter and has had a lot of faith in the horse.”
Not offered at auction , Fast Witness runs for a big group of owners including Ciaron Maher Racing and his breeder Sean Duke.
He is the fourth winner from four foals to race from winning Fastnet Rock mare Fast Shanti, a winning sister to Group II winner and sire Rothesay and half-sister to stakes-winner Sensei.
Fast Shanti is a grand-daughter of multiple Group I winner Canny Lass, a full sister to Golden Slipper winner Canny Lad with the family producing numerous Group I stars including Sepoy, Camarilla, Camarena, Guelph and more recently Bivouac.
Fast Shanti was covered again by Star Witness last spring.
Fast Witness is the 22nd stakes-winner for Widden Stud stalwart, who sired 120 winners last season of over $7million in prizemoney.
Star Witness stands at a fee of $14,300.
