Vinery sire Star Turn continues to punch well above his weight for a third-season stallion with another Australia-high winner-count on New Year’s Day.
He sired four winners led by Alsephina who landed the La Trice Classic (Gr.3, 1800m) at Ascot for trainers Grant & Alana Williams. The Perth mare has won 9 times in 11 starts and the stable has a long-term Group 1 goal of winning its sixth WA Railway Stakes (1600m) with her in 2023.
Alsephina was also a part of Star Turn’s Australia-high five winners on Saturday, December 11 although she was eclipsed that day by Saltaire in the $500,000 Inglis 2yo Nursery (RL, 1000m) at Randwick.
The New Year was also a winning one Bhima Thoroughbreds and its 2020 Gold Coast Magic Millions graduate Imperatriz. The I Am Invincible mare got up in the last stride to defeat All Too Hard mare Babylon Berlin in the Group 1 NZ Railway Stakes (1200m) at Te Rapa.
Bhima owner Mike Fleming is back at the Magic Millions with another quality consignment including the Star Turn – Sharp Tune filly (Lot 364) that parades on Day 3. “Star Turn is rapidly establishing himself with an even spread of Stakes-level colts and fillies,” Fleming said after arriving at the Gold Coast this week. “Our filly is a forward type and a lovely mover.
“Star Turn fits the mould for buyers looking for the security of a proven stallion.”
Te Akau Racing and Fleming may have spoiled the party for All Too Hard and the connections of Babylon Berlin but the Bhima boss had already banked three Group 1 credits with the Vinery sire’s top-class mare Forbidden Love.
“We sold Forbidden Love for $150,000 at the 2019 Magic Millions and she was such a lovely, athletic, sound filly,” he recalled. “We prepped her for Kerry O’Brien and she did everything right in the lead-up at home and on the sale-grounds. Those sort of fillies, when placed in the right stables, they just go ahead.”
Trained by Richard & Michael Freedman, Forbidden Love was a Group 1 winner of a George Ryder Stakes, Canterbury Stakes and Surround Stakes for earnings of $2.23million.
Bhima’s Star Turn – Sharp Tune filly is from a half-sister to multiple Group 3 winner Slightly Sweet (ATC James Carr Stakes & ITC Keith Nolan Classic) and promising 3yo filly Syncretism who can update the pedigree again this weekend.
Syncretism (Redoute’s Choice) won a Bendigo maiden in November for trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy and she has been nominated for a step up to Saturday grade at Gawler. “It was a really good win at Bendigo,” Calvin McEvoy said. “She has a big pedigree and it was a tough effort from a filly who is still learning and still improving.
“She’s quite a fast, big scopey filly, and everything she has done at home has shown she is a sprinter. She looks fantastic, is handling the training well, and there’s a bit of metropolitan success coming her way.”