Starspangledbanner

Repose (Quiet American), the dam of last year's G1 Cox Plate and GI Saratoga Derby Invitational winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), will visit champion sire Frankel (GB) this year, owner Dermot Cantillon told the TDN. The 10-year-old mare is in foal to Sea The Stars (Ire) and is due to foal soon. State Of Rest is the second foal out of Repose, and he was bought by Diamond Bloodstock for 45,000gns as a foal before being pinhooked for 60,000gns when purchased as a yearling by Aiden O'Ryan and...

While it was the multi-million Euro mares who stole the limelight at Arqana's December Breeding Stock Sale two weeks ago, there were successes to be celebrated beneath those top prices. Among the most remarkable of those has to be Haras de l'Aumonerie's Starspangledbanner (Aus) colt (lot 145), who was bought by Yeomanstown Stud for €170,000. The colt, already named Captain Star (Fr), had plenty going for him on both sides of his pedigree, being by a popular sire and a brother to two stakes horses, including none other than this...

The dual Royal Ascot winner, Group 1-winning sprinter and influential sire Choisir (Aus) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) has died at Coolmore Australia at the age of 22. Trained by Paul Perry for Terry Wallace and Partners, Choisir can be considered an equine pioneer for the role he played in opening the floodgates through the early part of this century for Australian sprinters to travel north during the Southern Hemisphere winter and put the locals in their place. A top-class 2-year-old who was placed in all three legs of Australia's juvenile Triple...

Listed-winning and Group 1-placed 2-year-old filly Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), the second-highest rated juvenile filly currently trained in Britain, will be offered at this year's Tattersalls December Mares Sale on Nov. 30. A 125,000gns purchase from last year's edition of Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Flotus broke her maiden at first asking on May 22 for trainers Simon and Ed Crisford, earning 'TDN Rising Star' status. She missed the board in her next three tries but bounced back to take Ripon's Listed Champion Two Yrs Old Trophy...

DONCASTER, UK--Any fears that a reduced catalogue and lack of high-end Maktoum participation could lead to a soft market at the Goffs UK Premier Sale were firmly quashed as the auction came to a close on Wednesday in Doncaster with a set of results that compared favourably with the pre-Covid era. At 366 lots, Goffs UK compiled a catalogue that was 8.5% smaller than last year. Yet in a testament to the quality of horse on offer, not to mention the appetite of buyers on the ground, the sale returned...

It would be perfectly natural to feel some regret for having sold a mare in the same year that she foaled a subsequent treble Group 1 winner. But you will hear nothing of the sort from Michael Gaffney of Churchtown House Stud, breeder of Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never). "We are absolutely thrilled with what she has done. We are very proud of her and very pleased for her owner Jeff Smith," says Gaffney. "It's a huge thing for us to have bred a filly like her--we are not...

Dual stakes-winning juvenile Castle Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will bypass Royal Ascot and instead target the G2 Railway S. at The Curragh on June 26. "We'll stay closer to home at the moment and we'll travel later on in the year," said trainer Fozzy Stack. "He's shown already he's as effective over five and six. He'll go for the Railway, then maybe the [G1] Phoenix and the [G1 Prix] Morny or the [G1] Middle Park, something like that." Castle Star broke his maiden at third asking in The Curragh's Listed...

On the back of the eagerly anticipated stallion fee announcements in Europe, we spoke with a number of leading industry figures about value. Today we hear from Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm. TDN: Who have you identified as a first-year stallion at an appealing opening fee? CB: Pinatubo (Ire) was a top-class 2-year-old and his introductory fee of £35,000 is probably very fair compared to where similar horses have started off over the years. Shamardal is the sire of Lope De Vega (Ire) and he comes from the female...

Carrying a five-pound penalty for her G1 Cheveley Park S. win in 2019, Stonethorn Stud Farms Limited's Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) made light of that burden to return to the winner's enclosure in style in Wednesday's G3 Yeomanstown Stud Ballyogan S. at Naas. On the front foot from the outset under Shane Foley, the 9-4 second favourite who was no match for Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the course-and-distance G3 Lacken S. last time took control passing halfway and drew away to score by four lengths from Pronouncement...

Aloha Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), the surprise winner of last weekend's G2 Airlie Stud S., could take on the boys next time in the G1 Phoenix S. at The Curragh on Aug. 9, according to trainer Fozzy Stack. Aloha Star had taken three tries to break her maiden, which she achieved at Bellewstown on July 2, and while her 33-1 score in the Airlie Stud was unexpected by most, Stack admitted he wasn't entirely surprised. "It was great to see her go and do that, because she's a filly we...

Saturday's G2 Railway S. had shown that quality juveniles can come from anywhere and 24 hours later the point was hammered home by the Bellewstown maiden winner Aloha Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) in The Curragh's G2 Airlie Stud S. Content to wait in behind as the 10-11 favourite Frenetic (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and the G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies' Sprint S. winner Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) squared up in front, Chris Hayes who had also partnered the shock Railway winner Laws of Indices (Ire) (Power {GB}) was in...

In this TDN series we ask a group of experts for their predictions for the 2020 flat season in Europe. Today we hear from Sophie Buckley. TDN: Who do you think will be the leading first-season sire this year? SB: When I think about who might be leading first-season sire I try and go for one whose stock I think that I will be able to afford to buy. I like the idea of Belardo (Ire) on paper. His dam Danaskaya (Ire) was a top 2-year-old and Belardo himself won...