'A really good horse' - Beverly D Stakes winner Fev Rover a first top-level winner for Haras des Faunes sire Gutaifan

Group 2-winning juvenile and Tattersalls December Mares Sale graduate Fev Rover provided Haras des Faunes sire Gutaifan with his first top-level winner in the Beverly D Stakes on Saturday. 

Trained by Mark Casse for Tracy Farmer, the five-year-old came home three and a half lengths clear of last year's Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup scorer Gina Romantica. 

 "She's like a couple of our good fillies - like [champion] Tepin - they like to run," Casse told BloodHorse. 

 "She's a really good horse. It's taken her a little while to understand our racing, but the toughest part today was getting her saddled. She's a toughie but she looks magnificent. She's really grown up in the last year. So we're excited and looking forward to the Breeders' Cup." 

Fev Rover, who was bred by Manister House Stud, had first sold to Nick Bradley and Howson & Houldsworth Bloodstock for £20,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale in 2019. 

Sent into training with Richard Fahey, she was second on her first two starts before breaking her maiden in the Listed Star Stakes at Sandown, while her next start saw her land the Group 2 Prix du Calvados in Deauville. 

Also fourth to Tiger Tanaka in the Prix Marcel Boussac, she was third to Mother Earth in the 1,000 Guineas on her three-year-old debut and a half-length second in the Group 2 Boomerang Mile later that season.

She was later offered at the 2021 Tattersalls December Mares Sale by Nick Bradley, where she sold to Farmer for 695,000gns. Now based with Casse, Fev Rover won the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes at Woodbine last August and was also third to Rougir in the Grade 1 E P Taylor Stakes. She was a four and a quarter length winner of the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes this July and her maiden top-level score was preceded by a third in the Grade 1 Diana Stakes.

Fev Rover (red cap): Group 2 winner in France when trained by Richard FaheyCredit: Pool

Fev Rover is the third foal out of the winning High Chaparral mare Laurelita, making her a half-sister to multiple winner Splendid Living, a gelded son of Starspangledbanner. 

Laurelita, a daughter of the Juddmonte-bred Chervil, a Dansili three-parts sister to Grade 1 winner and producer Light Jig, has a two-year-old Invincible Army filly called Leveret and a yearling colt by Dark Angel. 

The five-time black type winner was also providing her sire with a notable success. Based at Haras des Faunes since 2021, having stood at Yeomanstown Stud since his retirement from racing in 2016, Gutaifan has three black type winners from five stakes performers overall. They also include Listed Marygate Fillies' Stakes winner and Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes fourth Sardinia Sunset. 

Gutaifan stood the 2023 breeding season for a fee of €3,000.

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