By Bren O'Brien
A couple of bad experiences had put Ascot-based trainer Mike Santich off breeding horses for life, but a few years ago, he came across a mare that changed his mind, and as a result he now has one of Western Australia's leading 2-year-olds in Starfield Impact (Demerit).
The popular trainer paid just $3000 for a 2-year-old filly called Starfield Image (Kendel Star) at a mixed sale nine years ago and gave her a shot at the track, where she was able to provide him with an excellent return, winning $40,610 in an eight-race career which produced four wins, all in succession before injury saw her retired.
Burnt by previous ventures, Santich had been adamant he would never breed his own horses again, but he had fallen in love with Starfield Image, and she was the one who forced a rethink.
Mike Santich and Tracey Brown
"I bred two horses around 10-15 years ago and I swore to myself I'd never breed another horse as long as I live," he told TDN AusNZ.
"But when Starfield came along and did what she did, it changed my mind. I said I didn’t care what it cost me, it was worth the risk.
"Normally I wouldn't breed with horses, because it’s cheaper to buy from the sale, but she was the fastest horse I have ever put a saddle on. I thought to myself, I'll take a gamble on her. I needed to give it a crack and see what happened and bingo."
"She was the fastest horse I have ever put a saddle on. I thought to myself, I'll take a gamble on her. I needed to give it a crack and see what happened and bingo." - Mike Santich
'Bingo' is one way of describing Starfield Impact, Starfield Image's second foal. The daughter of ill-fated Rangeview Stud stallion Demerit debuted with a close-up second on debut at Ascot in November before leading all the way to win the Crystal Slipper, an early season Perth juvenile feature, later that month.
She was beaten at her third start but given a let-up, she has returned with narrow but impressive stakes wins in the Listed Supremacy S. and the G3 Gimcrack S. last weekend.
"She's pretty special. She has done what no other horse over here has done in winning the three feature races, the Crystal Slipper, the Supremacy and now the Gimcrack. It was the way she did it too. You just can't get better than that," Santich said.
What looms next is a clash with WA's best 2-year-old colt this season, the unbeaten Gemma's Son (Snippetson), in the G2 Karrakatta Plate on April 4.
The David Harrison-trained Gemma's Son has won the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic at Pinjarra and the Listed Perth S. at his past two starts and is already a short-priced favourite for the Karrakatta.
"The big one is to come up, but I had aimed her for those three races and whatever happens from here, I'd be happy," Santich said of Starfield Impact.
"The way she ran on Saturday, and I know the other horse Gemma's Son is a pretty smart horse, but she carried more weight than him over the same distance and pretty much ran the same time. In the Karrakatta, if she gets a good barrier, I think she can beat him."
As Santich's only broodmare, Starfield Image still holds a special place in his heart and her first foal, the filly Little Miss Pro (Proart), broke her maiden in city company in December.
Universal Ruler | Standing at Scenic Lodge
Starfield Impact has a yearling full brother in the paddock at Santich's farm at Gingin, while Starfield Image is now in foal to Universal Ruler.
"All three babies are a lot like her, but Starfield Impact is like the double of the dam. The way she does things and the way she acts on the track, I've never had a horse that has had such similarities. Everything that her mother had, she has, and she has proven that already on track," he said.
