Issue 30, October 16
Starspangledbanner, with Danny Nikolic up, parades before last Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (Pic: Newmarc)
Banner is a headline act Starspangledbanner’s magnificent Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) last week firmly places him high on the prospective sires’ list with a value between $10 million and $15 million, depending on whom you talk to. If Starspangledbanner (ch c 2006, Choisir–Gold Anthem, by Made Of Gold (USA)) can return in the autumn and win again at Group 1 level, his future is assured, but where? The better his performance, the less likely Victoria is to retain him, even with Tony Santic’s Makybe, who bred the horse, retaining 25 per cent interest. Santic is a businessman, and while he would certainly want to stand Starspangedbanner at Makybe, Gnarwarre, near Geelong, pure economics will come into play if one of the big studs in the Hunter Valley decides the son of Choisir is good enough for its roster.
As it stands, Starspangledbanner is a perfect fit for Victoria, whose breeding industry is desperate for more commercial, mid-range stallions for its breeders. The fact that Starspangledbanner is another Group 1 winning Danehill-line stallion prospect is in Victoria’s favour, due to the abundance of Danehill and Danzig line stallions already on the rosters of most of the leading Hunter Valley studs. In Victoria, the wealth of daughters of sires such as Encosta De Lago (by Fairy King) – before his move to Coolmore – Umatilla (by Miswaki), Bel Esprit (by Royal Academy), Rubiton (by Century) and Statue Of Liberty (by Storm Cat) and influential old-timers like Rancho Ruler (by Rancher) and Rustic Amber (by Thatching), means that a
Danehill-line stallion has a suitable broodmare base to support him. Starspangledbanner is the first Group 1 winner by Coolmore’s Choisir (ch h 1999, Danehill Dancer (IRE)– Great Selection, by Lunchtime (GB)), who like his sire is proving a prolific sire of good, quality winners both here and in Europe. Starspangledbanner is a similar colour to the flashy chestnut Choisir, but physically he is less of a muscular brute than his “Schwarzenegger-like” sire. He is more athletic and slightly more refined, but like his dad, he is all speed from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail. Syndicators Brad Spicer and Troy Corstens paid $120,000 for Starspangledbanner, from the Makybe draft, at the 2008 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale. BYLINE
When I was racing manager for Lee Freedman in the early to mid-1990s, one of my favourite horses in the stable was the filly Big Sky Montana (br m 1990, Lord Seymour (IRE)–Tennessee Belle, by Bold Lad (IRE)), who was owned by a syndicate of mostly first-time owners put together by Vern Raynor. Raynor also syndicated Freedman’s triple Group 1 winner Poetic King. Big Sky Montana was a natural talent, winning three of her first four starts before finishing second behind Asawir in the Listed William Crocket Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley in 1993. It was unfortunate that Big Sky Montana didn’t win a Stakes race, as she certainly had the ability. As an autumn 3YO, she bled when fourth behind Balm In Gilead in the Group 3 The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington. She returned after her ban to beat the brilliant Brawny Spirit in a Flemington 1000m dash in December 1994. Lorraine Morrissey managed the syndicate of six owners and she retained an interest in Big Sky Montana when the mare retired to stud. Morrissey and her partners race all the progeny and Rick Hore-Lacy (also a partner) is their trainer. At stud, Big Sky Montana is the dam of the triple Stakes winner Dantana (by Danzero). I was reminded of Big Sky Montana when her promising filly Big Spirit (b f 2006, by Invincible Spirit) won in the mud at Cranbourne on Thursday. Big Spirit is a filly with a future.