Andrew Caulfield, September 27, 2005–Starcraft (NZ) P EDIGREE INSIGHTS British and Irish breeders no doubt thought they had heard the last of Soviet Star when the son of Nureyev BY ANDREW CAULFIELD was sold to Japan in the autumn of 1994. They were also no doubt relieved that he was going, because he QUEEN ELIZABETH II S. (SPONSORED BY BARCLAYS had not been represented by anything more important PLC)-G1, £200,000, Newmarket, 9-24, 3yo, 1mT, than a Group 3 winner by the time of his sale, even 1:37.87, gd. though his eldest stock were four years old. 1--STARCRAFT (NZ), 127, h, 5, by Soviet Star Those first three crops of racing age had been sired 1st Dam: Flying Floozie (NZ), by Pompeii Court at fees of £30,000--a sum thoroughly justified by his 2nd Dam: Lucky Heiress (NZ), by Battle-Waggon (GB) combination of pedigree and performance. With a son 3rd Dam: Entrancing Bell (NZ), by Bellborough (Ire) of Northern Dancer as his sire and the French-bred O-The Australian Syndicate; B-G J Chittick; T-Luca Veruschka as his dam, Soviet Star was bred to the Cumani; J-Christophe-Patrice Lemaire; £116,000. same pattern as that remarkable American racemare Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Aus & G1SW-Fr, The Very One. A veteran of 70 races and five years on 21-11-3-4, £1,288,061. *1/2 to Forum Floozie (NZ) the track, The Very One landed the GI Santa Barbara H. (Danasinga {Aus}), SW & MG1SP-Aus. as a six-year-old, when she was also third in the Japan Click for the Racing Post chart or the brisnet.com Cup. catalogue-style pedigree. STARCRAFT (NZ), h, 2000 It was the little and large show at Newmarket three Nearctic Northern Dancer days ago, when the strapping New Zealander Starcraft Natalma Nureyev defeated the more vertically challenged Dubawi in a *Forli Special controversial edition of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. To Thong Soviet Star my eyes, Dubawi’s crabwise manoeuvre appeared to Relic (1984) Venture 7th (GB) cost him little ground and I am prepared to accept that Rose O’Lynne (GB) *Veruschka the best horse won on the day. A possible rematch in Vandale (Fr) Marie D'anjou (Fr) the Breeders’ Cup Mile will hopefully show who was Marigold (Fr) right. Round Table Tell New Zealand has every right to be proud of a horse Nas-Mahal Flying Floozie Pompeii Court who enjoyed a spell of nine wins from 10 starts in Damascus (NZ) Port Damascus Australasia. Among those wins were Group 1 victories (1993) Paris Pike over seven, eight and 12 furlongs, including the B’mare of the Year- Never Say Die Battle-Waggon (GB) Australian Derby. But the rest of the world can also NZ Lucky Heiress (NZ) *Carrozza 4Fls, 1Ch, 1GSW, bask in some reflected glory, as Starcraft’s sire Soviet Unraced Bellborough (Ire) Star and broodmare sire Pompeii Court were both bred 1SW 6Fls, 1GSW, 1SW Entrancing Bell (NZ) in the U.S., while Battle-Waggon, the sire of his second 4Fls, 1Ch, 1GSW, 2SW Entrancing (NZ) dam Lucky Heiress, was a product of the National Stud in Britain. It is a very different story with Starcraft’s female line, which has been in New Zealand for roughly 80 years. To find a Northern Hemisphere influence in the bottom J Watch Out for “TDN Rising Stars” J line, you have to go back to his ninth dam Peradventure, who was imported to Australia from Stars of tomorrow grabbing the spotlight today... Britain, where she was born in 1871. www.coolmore.com Although Soviet Star was asked to race far less Lucky Heiress’ sire Battle-Waggon is a perfect frequently than his three-parts sister, he too showed illustration of the type of horse on which breeders in admirable toughness and versatility. His stylish victory the British colonies were once dependent--a horse with in the French 2000 Guineas of 1987 encouraged his far more pedigree than performance. Battle-Waggon connections to put his stamina to the test in the G1 was produced by a mating between Never Say Die, a Prix Jean Prat over 9.2 furlongs. Although he went winner of the Derby and St Leger, and Carrozza, a within half a length of victory, Soviet Star was never winner of the Oaks. Unfortunately he fell far short of again asked to tackle more than a mile, going on to those standards in his own career, winning only a record four further Group 1 successes, including one maiden race before being sold for 2,000gns. over six furlongs in the July Cup and one over seven in Battle-Waggon justified his chance at stud by siring the the Prix de la Foret. There aren’t many European horses durable gelding Battle Heights, whose victories included who can compete at the highest level over every the Sydney Cup and W.S. Cox Plate. distance from six to nine furlongs, and this versatility is Lucky Heiress had every right to do well as a no doubt appreciated in Australasia, where the best broodmare, as she was a half-sister to Taras Bulba, the horses are often asked to tackle a very wide range of champion Australian three-year-old of 1974-75, when distances. he won from six to 13.5 furlongs. Of course Soviet Star soon gave everyone good It was hard to know how horses like Taras Bulba reason to regret his departure to Japan. Soviet Line compared with their northern hemisphere counterparts, became his first Group 1 winner in 1995, the year that as Australasian horses rarely ventured abroad in those Freedom Cry went close to winning the Arc and the days (although American breeders showed a passing Breeders’ Cup Turf. Ashkalani and Soviet Line both hit interest in Australian bloodlines through the likes of the Group 1 target in 1996 and Starborough completed Noholme, Pago Pago and Sky High). The situation is a Group 1 double in the Prix Jean Prat and St James’s very different now, with the likes of Choisir, Elvstroem Palace S. in 1997. Finally, Limpid--a member of Soviet and now Starcraft all underlining how much shuttle Star’s sixth and last British crop--took the G1 Grand stallions have helped turn antipodean racing into a Prix de Paris in 1998. With the Japanese losing interest world force. in him, Soviet Star moved on to New Zealand in the summer of 1999, before moving on to Ireland, to Ballylinch Stud, in 2000. Soviet Star is a medium-sized horse by the 15.3- hands Nureyev, which makes Starcraft’s size a bit surprising. However, Starcraft isn’t the first big and impressive chesnut grandson of Nureyev to make the transition from southern to northern hemispheres. The Argentine-bred Gentlemen collected over $2.1 million in 1997, when he collected the Pimlico Special, Pacific Classic and Hollywood Gold Cup. Starcraft was conceived in 1999, a couple of years after Starborough’s Group 1 victories, and the chances are that Starborough provided the inspiration for sending Flying Floozie to Soviet Star. Starborough’s dam was by Desert Wine, a son of Damascus, and Flying Floozie is by Pompeii Court, whose broodmare sire is none other than Damascus. Pompeii Court is the likely source of Starcraft’s size, as he stood 16.2½ hands and was billed as “a horse of exceptional masculinity and strength.” Pompeii Court had taken time to reach his full potential on the track, before making up for lost time as a five-year-old when he won the GII Longacres Mile and finished second in the Hollywood Express H. Pompeii Court sired three daughters from Lucky Heiress which have gone on to produce stakes winners. One, Happy Heiress, became a Group 2 winner in South Africa, while Starcraft’s dam Flying Floozie has also produced Forum Floozie, a Danasinga filly who filled second or third place in three Group 1 events over a mile. .