By Tom Frary
She may have had very little to beat, but Anthony Oppenheimer's Brilliant Star (Cracksman) did it in style to break her maiden at Yarmouth.
Sent off the 2-9 favourite for the extended 11-furlong novice, the daughter of the Irish Oaks, British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes and Prix Vermeille heroine Star Catcher (Sea The Stars) cracked 12 seconds for each of her last four furlongs for an impressive 10-length success in track record time.
“She was always going to improve from two to three, but I don't think she's beaten a whole lot,” said winning rider Rab Havlin.
“She's by Cracksman out of Star Catcher, so she was always going to have plenty of stamina. I rode both of those and when Star Catcher went up in trip the better she was. This filly isn't slow, but I think she's a solid mile-and-a-half filly. I made her stretch without being too hard on her and our horses are in flying form, so no doubt there's something more loftier coming up for her.”
Bred to be special! 🤩
By Cracksman and out of the three-time Group One winner Star Catcher, Brilliant Star picks up impressively to get off the mark at the second time of asking… @GTYarmouthRaces pic.twitter.com/1tBfGOapGf
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 21, 2026
The winner is the second foal out of the high-class dam, a half-sister to Lemon Drop Kid's Canadian International hero Cannock Chase, G2 Prix Eugene Adam winner Pisco Sour and Bizzarria who produced last year's G2 King Edward VII Stakes third Galveston (Frankel). Her two-year-old filly Noble Light is by Palace Pier, while she also has a yearling daughter of Kingman.
2nd-Great Yarmouth, £12,000, Nov, 4-21, 3-5yo, f/m, 11f 104yT, 2:21.08, g/f.
BRILLIANT STAR (GB) (f, 3, Cracksman {GB}–Star Catcher {GB} {G1SW-Eng, Ire & Fr}, by Sea The Stars {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $10,602. O-Anthony Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd; T-John & Thady Gosden.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
