Stella Steps Out Of The Shadows For Classic Win

PROMISING youngster Stella Shadows stamped herself as a rising star of the sport with an outstanding performance to take out the Steve King Breeders Classic Final (515m) in Launceston on Monday night.

Tasmanian Hall of Fame trainer Gary Fahey collected his fourth Launceston Breeders Classic title when Stella Shadows upstaged a very smart field of locally bred chasers to take home the $9,860 first prize in the feature.

From box five, as a $26 outsider, the brindle daughter of Feral Franky and Sacred Shadow worked her way through from midfield and burst through the pack at the first turn to settle in behind leaders heading out of the straight.

With a powerful burst of speed in the final stages, Stella Shadows overcame an obstacle off the back straight, swiftly maneuvering around the front runners to win by nearly two lengths ahead of Crystal and Eton in 29.77 seconds.

“She continues to improve with each run, while she may not be of the same calibre as her brother Inherited Charm, I believe she will certainly be a better performer in the future,” Gary Fahey said of Stella Shadows.

“Initially, Stella Shadows seemed to be more of a railer. However, in the final, she was drawn away from it, and her ability came to the fore. She ran off down the back and still managed to navigate the field; it was impressive.”

The victory in the Steve King Breeders Classic was the second win in nine starts for Stella Shadows, taking her stakes to $14,945, while she also raced in the partnership with Gary, his daughter Carol Martin, and her husband Steve.

For Gary Fahey, it was his eighth victory as a trainer in the Tasmanian Breeders Classic series, while his exceptional matriarch Dennes Point leaving a remarkable legacy with her daughter Sacred Shadow now making an impact also.

It was her second Tasmanian Breeders winner after Sweet Sundown produced in the 2023 Devonport Breeders.

Stella Shadows is now a major contender for the Illingworth Classic series, with the heats commencing on Monday, April 28. However, Gary is wary of the difficulty of winning the race, knowing that the competition will be very strong.

The recent emergence of Stella Shadows comes at a difficult time for the Faheys as their star chaser Inherited Charm has succumbed to a stopper bone injury where it is unknown whether he will ever return to the track.

“I had the Illingworth Classic more in mind for Inherited Charm, if you've got one good enough, it's hard not to put one in it. It's a pretty tough race to win; if Stella Shadows continues to improve, we will consider it,” Gary said.