Aston Fastnet Sets Stunning St. Leger Pace

ASTON Fastnet has roared into next Saturday’s Group 3 Warragul St. Leger Final (460m) with a stunning heat victory on Friday night.

ASTON Fastnet has roared into next Saturday's Group 3 Warragul St. Leger Final (460m) with a stunning heat victory on Friday night.

The son of Kc And All and Aston Miley qualified by far the quickest for the $25,000-to-the-winner finale with a brilliant 25.39 display, charging home to defeat tearaway leader Shima Classic by 2 ½ lengths.

If Aston Fastnet is successful in next week's final it will be a second St. Leger triumph for trainer Jason Thompson and owner Ray Borda.

Back in 2018, Aston Kimetto, which sadly passed away earlier this year, downed a stellar field in last-to-first fashion which included Melbourne Cup winner My Redeemer and dual Bulli Gold Cup hero Pindari Express.

And while that version of the race was nothing short of sensational, with six of the eight finalists going on to win group races, next week's staging promises to be even better.

Holly Thompson with fastest qualifier Aston Fastnet (pic: Bluestream Pictures)

The first qualifier saw Koblenz return to the winners list with a gritty 25.65 heat success over the Angela Langton-trained Keep It Black.

Koblenz, a son of Fernando Bale and Up Hill Jill, went into the recent Group 1 Maturity Classic series at The Meadows with 11 straight wins beside his name, the sequence brought to a halt in the heats when narrowly beaten by Aston Fastnet.

A week later, Koblenz had to settle for second again, gallant in defeat behind Aston Rupee, a brother to Aston Fastnet, again at The Meadows.

But the powerhouse galloper returned to winning form at Warragul on Friday night and will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with in the final for trainer David Geall.

Koblenz runs away with his St. Leger heat on Friday nightThe third and final heat saw the undisputed Queen of Australian greyhound racing Qwara Bale maintain her sensational form with a 25.63 heat win for Andrea Dailly.

Going into the series fresh off her Group 1 Maturity Classic victory, Qwara Bale charged to the front before staving off the challenge of prodigious talent Paua Of Buddy by 1 ¼ lengths.

The shock of the race was the last placed finish of odds-on favourite Rebellious which never looked entirely comfortable from the rails draw.

Three cracking heats have set the scene for a mouthwatering finale next Saturday night with an all-star cast of of classy age-restricted sprinters to take their place in the field.

If Qwara Bale or Shima Classic prove successful they will be the first female chaser to win the coveted race since champion Hall of Famer Fanta Bale annexed the race in 2016.

Group 3 Warragul St. Leger Final (460m)

1. Keep It Blue
2. Koblenz
3. Paua Of Buddy
4. Keep It Black
5. Shima Classic
6. Hennessey
7. Qwara Bale
8. Aston Fastnet
9. Black Avenger
10. Bahati Bale

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