She's Done it Now for Starcraft
As a racehorse Starcraft built an outstanding record on both sides of the Tasman, and now he’s doing it again, as a leading 2nd Season Sire in both Australia and New Zealand.
Today Starcraft’s strapping daughter We Can Say It Now (ex We Can’t Say That by Generous) became his second Group 1 winner with a well-deserved victory in the $200,000 Levin Classic 1600m G1, run at Otaki in New Zealand. Her win came less than a month after brilliant sprinting colt Star Witness (Starcraft-Leone Chiara by Lion Hunter) added the VRC Ascot Vale S. G1 to his juvenile triumph in the MRC Blue Diamond S. G1.
Paul Makin, who raced Starcraft, and bred & races We Can Say It Now with his wife Lyndal, says the filly “has a very, very good constitution and if she pulls up well, I’ll run her in the Captain Cook Stakes.” That is a weight-for-age Group 1 1600m race held at Trentham, Wellington on 4 December.
Arrowfield stallions have claimed two of the first three New Zealand G1 3YO races run this season, with King’s Rose (by Redoute’s Choice ) winning the CJC NZ 1000 Guineas G1 on 13 November. Today’s also-rans included the 2000 Guineas G1 winner Jimmy Choux.
A strong pace and jockey Leith Innes’ decision to move her off the fence at the 800-metre mark allowed We Can Say It Now to make up several lengths on the home turn and surge clear without the interference she suffered in the 1000 Guineas. She won by 0.75 length from Blinding, with a further 1.75 lengths back to Lady Kipling, and posted a winning time of 1.34.27.
Starcraft heads the New Zealand 2nd Season Sires’ list with four winners from five runners, including We Can Say It Now and 3YO stakeswinner Singapore Sling, and prizemoney of $213,190. His latest New Zealand runner, 2YO filly Staretto, was second on debut at Otaki today. On the Australian 2nd Season Sires’ table, Starcraft is currently 3rd, with fellow Arrowfield sire Snitzel sixth.
Starcraft’s other stakes performers this season are both in Australia: the stakes-placed 3YO Ace Acosta & 2YO Hallowell Belle.
Five yearlings by Starcraft will be offered at the 2011 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale, four of them in the Arrowfield draft . One of those four yearlings, Lot 112, a colt from Debutante Robe, is inbred 3 x 3 to Pompeii Court – just like We Can Say It Now.
