Twelve months ago, Solar Star was purchased out of Yarraman Park Stud’s draft by Damon Gabbedy’s Belmont Bloodstock Agency for $105,000 on behalf of John Baxter’s Ruane Stud and events at Ipswich on Saturday have ensured the price will be significantly higher this time around.
Solar Star will be offered as Lot 76 in the Milburn Creek draft and she will be presented as a stakes winner following her dominant victory in the Listed Gai Waterhouse Classic, the eighth win of her career.
“I really have to thank John Baxter, he bought this horse at the Broodmare Sale last year and gave her to us. She’s done a great job, she’s a stakes winner and a bonny mare,” trainer Tony Gollan said.
“She’s hard to get past and she dropped weight from those lower grade races. She loves Ipswich and she’s unbeaten here.
“We brought her here when we first got her and she won. John said just put her in the races you think she can win and get the prizemoney so we poked her through the grades.”
Smart purchase
Solar Star has won four races since joining Gollan’s stable and has proved an astute investment for Baxter.
“She’s been a revelation and she will be a really good acquisition for someone in the broodmare barn. She’s beautifully-bred and I love training the breed. She’s a really nice mare and never leaves anything in the locker,” Gollan said.
Solar Star led and forged clear into the straight and was too good for Jami Lady (Spirit Of Boom), and Multaja (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) arrived from the back for third.
“She gave a really good kick, she was really strong. Robbie rates races beautifully, he’s very experienced and you know they will always give a kick for him,” Gollan said. “Listed results for these mares are worth their weight in gold.”
“Listed results for these mares are worth their weight in gold.” – Tony Gollan
Solar Star was in receipt of 3.5kg from Jami Lady and rider Robbie Fradd said he had to make use of that advantage.
“Tony said to be positive and go forward, and when I got to the front I gave her a nice breather and she was solid to the line. She had no weight on her back and with the weight difference I had to make them work,” Fradd said.
Solar Star is a daughter of Petty Cury (Not A Single Doubt), who won six races including the G3 Darley Plate and is a half-sister to Rio Fortune (NZ) (Captain Rio {GB}), a dual black-type winner.
Their dam Bahira (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) won the G3 Thompson H. and is a daughter of the G1 Championship S. winner Conifer Bay (NZ) (Virginia Privateer {USA}), dam of the stakes-winner Cong’er (NZ) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}).
Bandipur deserved winner
A welcome and belated change of fortune went the way of Bandipur (Commands), who made an overdue winning addition to his record with success in the Listed Eye Liner S.
The former Godolphin galloper has been plagued by wide gates in recent starts and again had an awkward barrier to overcome, but he did it in style this time with a rails run in the straight taking his winning tally into double figures.
“I am so relieved. This horse is a little gun and he’s had no luck through the carnival and I was thinking, please open up for him, and it did,” trainer Kelly Purdy said.
“You hear so many bad luck stories, and when the barrier draw came out I thought, not again, so we just had to ride him for luck.”
Bandipur was partnered by Jag Guthmann-Chester and he did his part to perfection, with the pair accounting for Boomsara (Spirit Of Boom).
"This is my first Listed win and it is great to get it for Kelly who has stuck by me," he said. "I don't how I got some of the runs. I had a lot of horse under me and I just needed luck."
"This is my first Listed win and it is great to get it for Kelly who has stuck by me." – Jag Guthmann-Chester
Purdy said Bandipur’s form may not have looked too flash, but it was through no fault of the horse.
“He has been flying and you just can’t knock him, and he hasn’t put in a bad run,” Purdy said. “I am so thankful to Mike for giving me the opportunity to train a horse like this, it just makes it so much easier to get up in a morning with a nice horse like this in the stable.”
Bandipur
She was referring to owner Mike Crooks, who purchased Bandipur from Godolphin’s draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Racehorse Sale for $260,000.
Bandipur is out of Pattamada (Viscount) and she is a sister to the G1 Queen of the Turf S. winner Neroli. Featuring in the pedigree is the G1 TJ Smith S. winner and sire Benfica and the G3 Wellington Cup winner Magic Chai (Magic Albert).
“He’ll definitely go for a break and maybe we’ll get a wild card for the Magic Millions day. We’ll put him out after that and then come back for the winter again,” Purdy said.
