Rose blooming for Spring Champion Stakes

The Bart Cummings trained Lunar Rose staked a claim for higher honours after a five length victory at Newcastle on Saturday.

Lunar Rose (3g Starcraft – Spirited Dancer by Sadler’s Wells) won a Kembla maiden second-up after a winter spell in August and then blitzed his rivals in the Kloster Group Hcp (1500m) last weekend.

He was bred by Arrowfield and was purchased from its 2011 Inglis Easter Sale draft for $380,000 by Duncan Ramage on behalf of Dato Tan Chin Nam and Tunku Ahmad Yahaya.

Cummings has nominated the lightly raced gelding for the G1 Spring Champion Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on October 6.  Bart won his first Spring Champion Stakes with Best Western in 1981 and the staying credentials of his latest candidate are most impressive.

Lunar Rose is by Arrowfield sire Starcraft who won 11 races topped by G1 triumphs in NZ, Australia, England and France.  His winning range stretched to 2400m in the 2004 Australian Derby and, although that classic triumph was achieved more on class than sheer stamina, he’s capable of leaving top-class middle-distance performers as well sprinter-milers the calibre of Star Witness.

Lunar Rose is from the unraced Sadler’s Wells mare Spirited Dancer whose close relatives include champion Peintre Celebre.

Starcraft has not yet seen many mares by Sadler’s Wells or his sons but it’s a cross Arrowfield has been happy to repeat.  Spirited Dancer has a 2YO filly by Starcraft, and is foaling to him again this spring before visiting Gio Ponti (USA).

Starcraft has sired 12 stakes winners and is standing at a fee of $27,500 (inc gst) in 2012.