They Could be Heroes, But Starman Favourite to be Leading First-Season Sire

It's too soon, isn't it, to be thinking about this year's first-season sires? Well, not according to bookmaker Paddy Power, which has already released a market on this year's championship for Britain and Ireland, installing Starman (GB) as odds-on favourite to take the crown.

There are a number of good reasons to imagine that this might be the case. For a start, the Group 1-winning sprinter stands at Tally-Ho Stud, which enjoys loyal support from many commercial breeders as well as backing their own stallions to the hilt. In recent years Tally-Ho has had both Mehmas (Ire) and Cotai Glory (GB) land this particular title. Then there's the fact that Starman was the busiest freshman of his intake, covering 254 mares in 2022.

It is important though to remember that the statuesque Starman, who is out of the 10-furlong winner Sunday Star (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), did not himself race at two. However, when he got to the racecourse, the influence of his sire Dutch Art (GB) was certainly more apparent than that of his damsire.

With the Covid pandemic having delayed the start of the 2020 Flat season, Starman made his debut in the colours of his breeder David Ward in the July of his three-year-old year, winning his first three starts, all over six furlongs, including the Listed Garrowby Stakes. At four, he notched a first-up win in the G2 Duke of York Stakes before his victory over a strong field for the G1 July Cup. His sole try at just beyond six furlongs came when he was third in the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and he ended his racing career when beaten a short-head by Emaraaty Ana (GB) in the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup.

Some years ago in TDN, Ger Lyons coined the phrase 'hypologist'. We're still not sure that it's actually a word but you get the drift, and in the stallion business there are more than a few hypologists about. The team at Tally-Ho Stud is the polar opposite of this, to the extent that once, when this scribe attempted to pay Tony O'Callaghan a compliment on the success of Tally-Ho's mighty veteran Kodiac (GB), his response was a reminder as to the failure at stud that was Bushranger (Ire).

So, don't be expecting any bold predictions from Mullingar regarding Starman. During a recent expedition to Tally-Ho all we could glean from Anne O'Callaghan was that she is very fond of Starman as he has such a good temperament, and that was backed up by the stallion himself when he paraded for this pesky visitor. If he can pass that on, just as the amiable Mehmas appears to do for a good portion of his stock, then he will be starting off on a solid footing. 

We perused the Weatherbys bloodstock report for Starman's first crop, mostly to see how many clever David Bowie-related names there are on the list, but perhaps more importantly to see which trainers have a Starman two-year-old on their books. The answer to the latter is that Starman's own trainer Ed Walker has a decent batch coming his way, while Clive Cox, Michael Appleby, Richard Hannon, Richard Fahey, Archie Watson, Alice Haynes, David Loughnane, John and Sean Quinn, and George Boughey are also among those trainers with at least one Starman juvenile. 

I don't think I have ever been as stressed as I was the day of the July Cup because I had such belief in him and I just couldn't see him getting beaten – Ed Walker on Starman

The chestnut colt out of Moment Of Truth (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who was Starman's bestseller at 260,000gns during Book 1 to Amo Racing and Al Shaqab, has not yet been assigned to a trainer, according to Weatherbys, but one of his co-top-priced fillies, out of Johara (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), who fetched 240,000gns and, like the colt, was sold by Tally-Ho Stud, is with Karl Burke.

So far there is a disappointing lack of Bowie song titles among those to have been named, but that may just be because Phil Cunningham has reserved all the good ones.

“I think we're going to have nine of his two-year-olds,” says Ed Walker. “It's a trainer's dream to train progeny by a stallion you've trained.”

Casting his mind back to his early association with Starman, he continues, “He was big and so good-looking. He was bred by David Ward, who is all about what is best for the horses over his own personal ambitions, and he said to just give him all the time he needed. At two, he was in full work and was shaping up nicely but as a big, immature horse. We could have run him at two but the ground had gone and David didn't want him to run on the all-weather, so we were happy just to wait until he was three, and then of course we all got hit by Covid.

“By then we knew he was pretty good, but David, completely understandably, didn't want to run him until owners were allowed to attend and, ironically, as it turned out, the only six-furlong maiden I could find was at Lingfield on the all-weather, so that's why he made his debut in July.”

By the age of four, Starman was ready to deliver a breakthrough victory at the highest level for his trainer. He was also dropping hints that he might take well to his second career.

“I don't think I have ever been as stressed as I was the day of the July Cup because I had such belief in him and I just couldn't see him getting beaten,” Walker says.

“The only thing he ever did wrong was show a bit too much interest in the fillies – he won his maiden and the July Cup with his wedding tackle out. But he was a great horse, and a beautiful horse with a super temperament. He'll make a good stallion, I've got no doubt.

“Tally-Ho have given him every chance and David has given him every chance; David's been incredibly supportive. His racing interests now are all about Starman, about making him a stallion.”

With Starman at 1/3 in the betting, his nearest rival is Supremacy (Ire) at 7/2. Now ensconced at Yeomanstown Stud alongside champion sire Dark Angel (Ire), Supremacy won both the G1 Middle Park and G2 Richmond Stakes making him the leading light of that strong crop of first runners for Mehmas. Out of the Arcano (Ire) mare Triggers Broom, he is from the same family as top sprinter Harry Angel (Ire), who is looking like an increasingly useful sire.

Yeomanstown Stud's Supremacy is second favourite | Racingfotos

Supremacy was not short of support in his first covering season, with 187 mares sent his way.  Similarly well backed was Darley's Space Blues (GB), who covered 160 mares in his first book, and is next in the betting at 14/1.

Quoted at 16/1 are Coolmore's St Mark's Basilica (Fr), the National Stud's Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), Newsells Park Stud resident A'Ali (Ire) and Darley's Palace Pier (GB).

In the breeding world, we are used to surprises, particularly when it comes to stallions. Today's hero can be tomorrow's zero, and sometimes vice versa, with whispers and hearsay often playing an overly significant role in whether a young sire makes it or not. 

No Flat trainer would want to nail his colours to the mast in midwinter but Walker, who has more reason than most to want Starman to succeed, is cautiously optimistic at this stage. 

“From what I have seen so far there's a lot to like about them,” he says. “We have three in at the moment and I'm really happy with them. They've got good temperaments, with plenty of size and scope and well put together. Yes, they are probably quite big but equally they have high energy levels – every day they are fresh and up for it. Early signs, certainly from my point of view, are positive.”

He adds, “I don't think we will see too many run in April and May but I am hoping that by Goodwood they will be rocking and rolling. It will be really interesting to see how he gets on. David has sent a few to other trainers, specifically to guys who have a good record with their two-year-olds, like Tom Dascombe, Hugo Palmer and Karl Burke. I'll be cheering everyone's Starmans along.”

Betting for the 2025 first-season sires' championship 

Odds – Stallion – Mares in 2022
1/3 – Starman – 254
7/2 – Supremacy – 187
14/1 – Space Blues – 160
16/1 – St Mark's Basilica – 176
16/1 – Lope Y Fernandez – 134
16/1 – A'Ali – 114
16/1- Palace Pier – 160
20/1 – Lucky Vega – 154
50/1 – Ubettabelieveit – 98
50/1 – Nando Parrado – 130
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