January 2020 14 STALLION PROFILE by David Bay STAR TURN STAR TURN has all the attributes breeders and yearling buyers love, he is strong and handsome, was a brilliant sprinter and has a pedigree laced with speed. You can be sure that plenty of good judges will be keen to secure one of his first crop yearlings at the sales in 2020. EARLING buyers looking for a ready made to catch the eye in the sale ring. Star Turn, 30 Gr.1 winners and knows a thing or two about two year-old type are sure to take a good look a chestnut with three white socks and a blaze who spotting a good horse. Yat the first crop youngsters by Vinery’s young stands a tick over 16 hands, was such a handsome After Star Turn’s win in the San Domenico Stakes- sire Star Turn at sales in 2020. The powerfully built yearling he cost that very good judge Alan Bell Gr.3 (1100m) he told reporters, “They don’t go any $400,000 at the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast, sprinter won early as a two year-old and then took better than that, he’s definitely Gr.1 class”. He was making him the most expensive yearling by his on the best sprinters at three and has a sire and dam just as positive when he spotted the colt at the sales. sire in 2015. Consider what a big accolade that who also excelled over short courses. “If you’re looking for the quintessential two year-old, is as Bell’s previous sale ring buys number champion There are more than 100 foals from the first crop sprinter Schillaci along with Deep Field and Grand he just has a great look about him.” of Star Turn (Star Witness-Golden Delicious Armee. The former veterinarian, Gr.1 trainer, A Gr.2 winner and four-times Gr.1 placed by Made of Gold (USA)) and breeders who have businessman, Racing NSW chairman and Racing in a career of just 12 starts, Star Turn was the first them say they take after Dad, so they are sure Hall of Fame inductee has raced more than son of Widden Stud’s boom young sire Star Witness January 2020 15 (Starcraft-Leone Chiara by Lion Hunter) to head to stud but he certainly won’t be the last given the quality of that horse’s recent books. Star Witness, who won the Blue Diamond-Gr.1 at two and the Ascot Vale-Gr.1 at three, only retired to stud in 2011 and already has the winners of more than $32.4m including dual Gr.1-winning filly Global Glamour (dam by Testa Rossa) whose five wins to 1600m saw her collect more than $1.5m in earnings. His 289 winners represent a winners-to-runners ratio of 64.4% and his 15 stakes winners also include Gr.2 winner Malla Maria (Keep the Faith, second dam by Danehill), Gr.3 winners Fuhryk (Langfuhr), Graff (Keep the Faith), both also Gr.1 placed, and Crown Witness (Kahal). Other stakes winners are out of daughters of More Than Ready, Fastnet Rock (2), Grand Slam, Magic Albert, Desert Sun, Testa Rossa, Zabeel and Rock of Gibraltar (that runner Cosmic Alert also having a second dam by Made of Gold). Star Witness has proved a good foil for mares from the Danzig (Danehill) and Halo lines, which is a good clue when it is time to inspect yearlings by his young son. Star Witness is a son of international Gr.1 winner Starcraft (NZ) (Soviet Star (USA)-Flying Floozie by Pompeii Court (USA)), winner of the AJC Derby- Gr.1 (2400m) and Chipping Norton-Gr.1 (1600m) in Australia and the Mudgway Partsworld-Gr.1 (1400m) in NZ, before travelling to Europe to take the Prix du Nureyev (USA) Mouilin-Gr.1 (1600m) at Longchamp and the Queen (Northern Dancer-Special by Forli) Elizabeth II Stakes-Gr.1 (1600m) at Newmarket, brother Fairy King (USA) and also to Perugino (sire beating Dubawi (IRE) in the latter event. and was hand-walked for hours each day, as he was of Testa Rossa). Nureyev sons who have left Gr.1 Now standing at Rosemont in Victoria ($8800) unable to be paddocked because of the leg injury. winners in this part of the world include champion after beginning stud life at Arrowfield (and in the He lived to the ripe old age of 24. He was leading miler and shuttler Spinning World (USA) (sire of UK) in 2006, he has sired winners of about $40m sire in France in 1987 and subsequently a champion Thorn Park), Gr.1 winner Good Journey (both, like (20SW), his other Gr.1 winner being We Can Say broodmare sire and his 23 Gr.1 winners included champion sire Redoute’s Choice, descendants of Best It Now (Generous), twice successful in elite level champions Theatrical, Peintre Celebre and in Show) and Arc winner Peintre Celebre (USA). in NZ and whose pedigree features a double Miesque (10 Gr.1), the latter also dam of champion Inbreeding to Nureyev’s family (tracing to Rough of Pompeii Court (3fx3f). Those with daughters sire Kingmambo. Shod, family 5h) has been particularly successful of O’Reilly (dam also by Pompeii Court) can Nureyev has a special place in Australasian (Northern Meteor a case in point) and oft-repeated duplicate the double too by using Star Turn breeding as the dam sire of both champion NZ sire and, given that Star Turn stands at Vinery, which (or his sire/grandsire). Zabeel and of Desert King (IRE) (sire of Makybe is also home to now-retired Testa Rossa, it would Starcraft’s sire Soviet Star (USA) (Nureyev-Verushka Diva). He is also a three-quarter brother be no surprise to see the latter’s daughters clicking by Venture), whose dam sire, a winner of the to champion sire Sadler’s Wells and that horse’s with Star Turn. Remember that dual Gr.1 winner Middle Park Stakes-Gr.1, is a three-quarter brother to multiple Gr.1 winner and short-lived sire Buisson Ardent (Relic-Rose O’Lynn by Pherozshah), won five STAR TURN Chestnut colt, 2013 Gr.1 events. These were the French 2000 Guineas, Northern Dancer 2d Nureyev Special 5h Sussex Stakes, Prix de la Foret, July Cup and Prix Soviet Star (USA) Venture 7 du Moulin. He stood in England, Japan and Ireland Veruschka Marie d’Anjou 9f Starcraft and shuttled briefly to NZ, leaving 85 foals from his Tell 2f Pompeii Court (USA) Port Damascus 1p southern season in 1999, Starcraft among them. Flying Floozie Lucky Heiress Battle-Waggon (GB) 3o While Star Turn now has Nureyev in his fourth STAR WITNESS Entrancing Bell 4d remove this remarkable racehorse is important Danzig 7a Ch 2007 Danehill (USA) Razyana 2d Lion Hunter as a high class foil for other members of the Rough Godswalk (USA) 2h Shod clan and he brings class to any pedigree. Bred Pure of Heart (IRE) Audrey Joan 10c Leone Chiara by Claiborne Farm, Nureyev is a son of Northern Try My Best 8f Last Tycoon (IRE) Mill Princess 8c Chiara Dancer and Special (Forli-Thong by Nantallah), Diplomatic Star (USA) 22b a granddaughter of Rough Shod (Gold Bridge- Etoile d’Or Marchwill 13b Dalmary by Blandford) and he raced for shipping Noholme 1u Shecky Greene Lester’s Pride 13c magnate Stavros Niarchos, winning the Prix Djebel Green Forest The Axe 1s and Prix Thomas Bryon-Gr.3 and was first past the Tell Meno Lies Filatonga 8c Made of Gold (USA) post in the 1980 English 2000 Guineas-Gr.1 only Sicambre 7e Roi Dagobert Dame d’Atour 8c to be disqualified and placed last. They were his Vindaria Dark Star 3n only starts and he began his stud career in France GOLDEN DELICIOUS Heavenly Body Dangerous Dame 21a before heading to the US where tragedy struck when Red God 8c Ch 1998 Blushing Groom Runaway Bride 22d he broke a hind leg. Pre Emptive Strike (CAN) Nearctic 14c Queen Maud Vent Neurf 1p Miraculously saved; Nureyev continued his stud Barossa Gourmet career, which was also hampered by fertility issues. Princely Gift 13a My Heart (IRE) Alice Delysia 21a Marry Me Maria He lived in a specially built stable compound Above Water (IRE) 1n at Walmac Farm, well away from the other stallions Regal Waters Queen of Egypt 1o January 2020 16 STALLION PROFILE: Star Turn Global Glamour (Special 5mx5f) is by Star Witness from a Testa Rossa daughter, as is Listed winner Lycurgus, while Listed winner Lord Balmoral is from a daughter of Zabeel (dam by Nureyev). Star Witness is from Gr.3 winner Leone Chiara, a daughter of the Gr.1 placed sprinter Lion Hunter, a son of nine-times Champion Australian Sire Danehill and the imported Pure of Heart (IRE) (Godswalk (USA)) and both Lion Hunter’s parents were Gr.1-winning sprinters. Lion Hunter is inbred to speed influence Native Dancer and his second dam, the juvenile winner Chiara, is by Last Tycoon, a crack sprinter in England who went to the US to claim the Breeders’ Cup Mile-Gr.1 before a stellar stud career. Daughters of his grandson Written Tycoon look a good bet with Star Turn. Etoile d’Or, third dam of Star Witness, is by Diplomatic Star (USA) (by the Nashua son Diplomat Way), whose dam Ritmar (Star Kingdom (IRE)), won the Lightning Stakes before her export to the US. Another of her sons, Taipan II (USA) (Bold Ruler) stood with success in NZ.