Coolmore sire Choisir was represented by his first Group 1 winner when Starspangledbanner scored a brilliant all-the-way victory the Caulfield Guineas on Saturday.
Starspangledbanner is trained by Leon Corstens and is one of 20 stakes winners worldwide by Choisir. The Coolmore stallion has been shuttling between Ireland and Australia since winning the King’s Stand Stakes and Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2003.
Choisir (Danehill Dancer) stands for the equivalent of AUD 13,040 in County Tipperary and AUD 35,750 in the Hunter Valley.
Starspangledbanner (3c Choisir – Gold Anthem by Made Of Gold) was bred by Tony Santic’s Makybe operation and sold for $485,000 at the 2008 Inglis Easter yearling sale. Santic kept a share with managing part-owner Brad Spicer and a whole host of syndicate members.
The Choisir colt started his career with a victory in the Inglis Juvenile on Cox Plate day last year and earned his first black-type when runner-up to fellow Makybe-bred colt Common Interest at Flemington in March.
Starspangledbanner returned this term for Listed victories in the Vain Stakes (1100m) and H.D.F. McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield in August. In his final lead-up to the Group 1, he was checked twice in the straight before finishing fourth to Demerit in the G3 Guineas Prelude.
Starspangledbanner is out of Gold Anthem who was a stakes -placed winner in Adelaide. Her first foal Gold Chant (El Moxie) won races at Moonee Valley and Sandown for Santic. Second dam National Song (Vain) is a half-sister to Circles Of Gold, the dam of Elvstroem and Haradasun.
Elvstroem is the sire of Carrara who completed a Group 1 quinella for Melbourne based three year-olds in the Caulfield Guineas.
Gold Anthem’s 2yo is a Royal Academy filly named Regally Blonde who was a $120,000 buy for Pinecliff Racing’s Jonathon Munz at the 2009 Gold Coast Magic Millions. She is being trained by Rod Douglas.
Gold Anthem has a yearling filly by Rock Of Gibraltar and she also has a colt on the ground by Makybe sire Purrealist.