Lunar rises for Starcraft at Flemington

Lunar rises for Starcraft at Flemington

A familiar set of colours and a stable whose history is entwined with that of Flemington opened the card on today’s Victoria Derby Day programme.

Arrowfield was delighted to breed Lunar Rise, the winner of the $250,000 VRC Carbine Club S. 1600m G3, for legendary trainer Bart Cummings and his most successful owner Dato Tan Chin Nam, who races the 3YO son of Starcraft in partnership with Tunku Ahmad Yahaya.

Pictured: Lunar Rise (left) gets the better of Proverb in the VRC Carbine Club S. G3 today. (PHOTO: Bronwen Healy)

The decision to drop the gelding back in distance after his good fourth in the 2000-metre Spring Champion S. G1 proved absolutely correct. Jockey Hugh Bowman slotted Lunar Rise in sixth position, one off the fence, then drove him forward as the pace quickened around the home turn. They reached the lead 200 metres from the post and Lunar Rise fought gamely to hold off Tatra (by Hussonet) by a head, with Proverb 1.3 lengths away third.

Lunar Rise was bred and sold by Arrowfield at the 2011 Inglis Australian Easter Sale where Duncan Ramage’s DGR Thoroughbred Services paid $380,000 for him.

He is Starcraft’s 13th indvidual stakeswinner, and third this season, after Hallowell Belle & Crafty Irna, and has now won three of his 8 starts and prizemoney of almost $230,000.

Lunar Rise is also the 5th stakeswinner, following Snitzerland, Flying Snitzel, Members Joy and Urban Groove, from the group of yearlings sold by Arrowfield and Bellerive Studs in 2011.

Finally, he is the third Arrowfield-sired winner of the Carbine Club S. in the past five years, after Dr Doute’s (2008) & Galah (2011), both by Redoute’s Choice.

Lunar Rise is from the Sadler’s Wells mare Spirited Dancer, an unraced half-sister to Group 2 winner Peinture Bleue, dam of international champion 3YO Peintre Celebre (by Nureyev, paternal grand-sire of Starcraft). Spirited Dancer has a yearling filly by Manhattan Rain, foaled a brother to Lunar Rise in September, and has been served by Gio Ponti.