Starcraft Wins Gr. 1 Chipping Norton Stakes

Racing on a slow track at Warwick Farm, Sydney on Saturday smart three-year-old colt Starcraft (Soviet Star x Flying Floozie by Pompeii Court) easily won the $250,000 Gr. 1 San Miguel Chipping Norton Stakes by 1-1/2 lengths.

In the 1600m-feature event, Starcraft upstaged his older rivals to claim his first Gr. 1 victory. The win gave his Gold Coast based trainer Garry Newham and owner Paul Makin their first taste of success at Gr. 1 level. Starcraft has now won five races from only ten race day starts.

Starcraft won impressively from fellow three-year-old Ambulance (Grand Lodge x Emergency) with a further neck to Gentle Genius (Danehill x Darazina) in third position. Glen Boss rode Starcraft to victory.

Starcraft was sold by New Zealand Bloodstock at the 2002 Premier Yearling Sale. New Zealand bloodstock agent Robt Dawe purchased the chestnut colt from the draft of Waikato Stud for $80,000.

As in addition to Starcraft, Flying Floozie has also left very good Group winning filly in Australia, Forum Floozie (by Danasinga). Also bred and sold by Waikato Stud.

Soviet Star, a son of Nureyev, is the winner of five Gr. 1 events including the July Cup at Newmarket. Soviet Star, who stands at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland, stood only one season in New Zealand at Haunui Farm.

His only southern hemisphere bred progeny includes promising three-year-old's Filante Etoile (Soviet Star x Georgiana) runner up in the Gr. 1 ING New Zealand Oaks and Stardane (Soviet Star x Astradane) the winner of the Gr. 3 Golan Hawkes Bay Guineas in the spring. Soviet Star has also sired four Gr. 1 winners in the northern hemisphere. They are: Soviet Line, Starborough, Ashkalani and Limpid.

Starcraft now heads into the major Sydney Autumn Carnival with the San Miguel AJC Australian Derby his main target.