Arrowfield freshman Starcraft sired his first southern hemisphere winner when Star Witness scored a most impressive victory at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Star Witness (2c Starcraft – Leone Chiara by Lion Hunter) defeated Flokkati (Fastnet Rock) by a nose in a head-bobbing finish to the Tatts Group Plate.

“He’s still very, very new,” trainer Danny O’Brien said.  “He only had one trial but he lengthened nicely.  There was a bit of depth in the field and there might be a few nice two-year-olds come out of that race.”

The win completed a big week for Starcraft’s owner Paul Makin.  He topped the first session of the Tattersalls December Sale at Newmarket on Monday with a Galileo colt that made 275,000gns (AUD 523,000).

Star Witness was a $150,000 buy out of the Alma Vale draft at the 2009 Gold Coast Magic Millions, however, O’Brien won’t tempt fate by keeping the colt in work for the BMW Magic Millions 2YO Classic in January.

Starcraft (Soviet Star) was an international G1 winner in Australian (AJC Derby), New Zealand (Stoney Bridge and Mudgway Stakes), France (Prix du Moulin) and England (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes).

He began stud life at Cheveley Park in 2006 and sired English Listed winner Don’t Tell Mary in that crop.  He is now based full time at Arrowfield Stud for a $22,000 fee.

Star Witness from O’Brien’s talented racemare Leone Chiara who won the G3 R N Irwin Stakes and Listed W H Wylie Hcp in Adelaide.  She is a daughter of Lion Hunter and is a sister to Group winners Ferocity and Chinchilla Rose.

Ferocity, who stands at Neville Stewart’s Oaklands Stud in Toowoomba, won the G2 Ascot Vale Stakes at Flemington and the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in Adelaide.

Chinchilla Rose is raced by Alma Vale owner Ken Turner and is a feature race winner of the G2 QTC Cup and G3 Dane Ripper Stakes at Eagle Farm and the G2 Surround Stakes and G3 Sweet Embrace Stakes at Randwick.

Leone Chiara has a yearling filly by Elusive Quality heading to January’s 2010 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.  “She’s a very neat filly,” Turner said.  “She is typical of the family – a little bit on the small side – but size hasn’t stopped the family from running.”