The Star Turns are firing with 10 individual winners at home and abroad in the last month.
The double-figure count has him level-pegging with Capitalist for Australian-bred career winners among our second-season sires with 36 apiece. The majority are based along the eastern seaboard with expats in New Zealand (La Bella Beals) and Hong Kong (Astrologer & Cordyceps Six).
Star Turn is also doing the business with Beads behind closed borders in Western Australia.
Based in Albany with trainer Steve Wolfe, Beads had travelled to Perth to win a Belmont nursery in June before making another 400km trek to town for the Glenroy Chaff Hcp (1000m) at Ascot on Saturday.
Stable jockey Shaun McGruddy box-seated behind front-runner Bopping Blue (Magnus) then let him down to score by the best part of two lengths while clocking 33.90s for the final 600m. “He was just found out by that smart filly The Front Page first-up last month,” Wolfe confirmed. “It sharpened him up for today and it was a beaut ride by ‘Shooter’ from the inside gate.
“He’s a nice horse in the making and we will keep him at these short sprints for the time being.”
Beads was purchased privately by Wolfe for a syndicate that includes Kevin and Pat Patten, Greg Green and Pink Panther Racing. He had been pin-hooked as a foal for $62,500 by WA breeders Tony & Di Marwick from Torryburn Stud at the 2019 Magic Millions National Sale.
His page received a black-type update when younger half-sister Get In The Spirit (Sprit Of Boom) won the VRC Maribyrnong Trial Stakes LR at Flemington in October. Their dam Sopraffina (Exceed And Excel) is a winning half-sister to Green Roller (TRC Strutt Stakes LR) and the dam of Ugo Foscolo (NZ 2000 Guineas Gr.1).
Beads has a high head-carriage at full gallop although that doesn’t blunt his ability to accelerate according to McGruddy. “He’s still learning the craft and it may look awkward but he’s really covering ground. It’s just his style of racing and I think he will eventually get a good 1200.”
Star Turn has a dozen lots catalogued for the Gold Coast Magic Millions in January with the Vinery colt parading as Lot 754 a highlight on Day 4. His dam Arctic Success (Big Brown) has already thrown Press Statement 3yo filly Roots who earned her first black-type when runner-up in the Reginald Allen Hcp (LR, 1400m) at Randwick in October.
And her 4yo mare Arctic Thunder (Headwater) paraded much stronger with more substance before a first-up victory at Rosehill on December 4. She was an Inglis Classic graduate from Vinery in 2019 and is fully furnished following a spring break for Darby Racing and Gary Portelli.
Vinery bloodstock manager Adam White is looking forward to presenting their Star Turn half-brother on the Gold Coast. “I like him. He’s all quality with the scope to keep improving the pedigree. Roots looks a very promising filly and the colt has been popular at our yearling parades.”
BEADS