Black type bonanza for Starcraft’s 3YOs

Black type bonanza for Starcraft’s 3YOs

In a tremendous long weekend of top-class racing, Arrowfield’s leading young Group 1 sire Starcraft was represented by three Group performers, all 3YOs: Hallowell Belle and Do You Think at Randwick, and Celebrity Girl at Flemington.

Last weekend was almost as productive for Starcraft’s 2008 crop, with stakes performances posted by Quackquack and Secret Hills.

Pictured: Starcraft’s dual Group 1-placed daughter Hallowell Belle, before Saturday’s Flight Stakes at Randwick. (PHOTO: Martin King, Sportpix)

Hallowell Belle (ex Bella Inez by Beautiful Crown) took her admirable, though frustrating run of black type placings to seven when she chased home Streama (by Redoute’s Choice’s son Stratum) in Saturday’s ATC Flight S. 1600m G1. The 3YO filly only broke her maiden at Seymour last month, but thanks to her placed performances, which include a second to Sepoy in the MRC Blue Diamond S. G1 at two, she has won prizemoney of almost $400,000. Bred by Sacconi Thoroughbreds, Hallowell Belle is raced by Mt Hallowell Stud’s Craig Thompson and David Walpole.

On the same card, 3YO colt Do You Think (ex Chickens by Danehill) finished third in the ATC Roman Consul S. 1200m G2 for his owners Dato Tan Chin Nam & Tunku Ahmad Yahaya. A Group 3 winner last season, Do You Think was bred by David Moore of well-regarded New Zealand-based farm Soliloquy Lodge.

A day later in Melbourne, Celebrity Girl (ex Dashing Granada by Keltrice) filled the same position in the VRC Edward Manifold 1600m G2. She is already a stakeswinner, at Flemington last month, and has not finished further back than fourth in her four starts to date. Celebrity Girl was bred by Bramleigh Holdings and is raced by Trevor & Beth Robertson.

Quackquack (ex Ducks by Woodman), raced by her breeder Neil Werrett of Black Caviar fame, gained black type in the 1900-metre ATC Dulcify H. LR on 24 September. On the same day, Secret Hills (ex Hill of Peace by Danehill) was runner-up to Helmet in the MRC Caulfield Guineas Prelude 1400m G3 – his third successvive black type placing this season. He was bred by jockey Scott Seamer and is raced by Gurners Bloodstock Co (Mgr: Andrew Ramsden), Estate D C Christensen, Rupert & Cheryl Legh, P Barnett, K Hayes, K Quirk, S Tsalikidis & Wright Racing.

These five horses give Starcraft’s 2008 crop a stakes performers-to-runners ratio of 12.8% and have helped to put him in 6th position on the current Australian 3YO Sires’ list, with just over $500,000 prizemoney.

Starcraft is the sire of eight stakeswinners among a total of 14 stakes performers from his first two Australian crops, headed by dual Group 1 winners Star Witness and We Can Say It Now.