Written by Lydia Symonds
Multiple Group 1 winner and one of the earliest globetrotting racehorses, Starcraft (NZ), died at Rosemont Stud on Thursday morning following a short illness.
Bred by Waikato Stud, the son of Soviet Star (USA) was purchased by his owner Paul Makin for NZ$80,000 at the 2000 edition of the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sale.
Trained in Australia by Garry Newham, Starcraft began his racing career in Queensland. After winning through his grades, he capped off his 3-year-old season with a maiden Group 1 victory against the older horses in the G1 Chipping Norton S. He then followed up that triumph by bagging a Classic win in the G1 AJC Derby.
Starcraft (NZ) when winning the G1 AJC Australian Derby | Image courtesy of Bronwen Healy
Kept in training as a 4-year-old, he returned to New Zealand where he scored a breathtaking win in the G1 Mudgway S., racing successfully through the spring in New Zealand and Australia before ending his campaign with an excellent third placing in the G1 Cox Plate behind subsequent multiple New Zealand Champion Sire Savabeel.
Makin then made, what was then considered a risky decision, to campaign Starcraft in the Northern Hemisphere and he joined the Newmarket stable of legendary trainer Luca Cumani.
In September 2005 he showed the Europeans his high-class ability when producing a blistering turn of foot to win the G1 Prix du Moulin at Longchamp and in doing so became the first New Zealand-bred horse to win a Group 1 in Europe.
Starcraft (NZ) (red cap) beats Dubawi (Ire) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Newmarket | Image courtesy of Sportpix
He then proved once again that he was one of the best milers on the planet when beating high-class racehorse and now champion stallion Dubawi (Ire) into second in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Newmarket, which proved to be the final Group 1 of his illustrious career.
At the conclusion of his racing career, Starcraft was retired to stand at Arrowfield Stud, before they entered a joint venture with Rosemont Stud and he was relocated to Victoria in 2014.
Starcraft is the sire of 20 stakes winners in total and they are headed by two Group 1 winners, including his now Widden Stud-based son Star Witness, who earned his place at stud with victories in the G1 Blue Diamond S. and G1 Coolmore Stud S.
Watch: Starcraft's (NZ) win in the G1 Mudgway Partsworld S.
“It is a sad day for Rosemont with the death of one of our first stallions in Starcraft,” said stud principal Anthony Mithen.
“With the passing of time it is easy to forget what an absolute champion racehorse he was – he won Group 1s in England and France at a time when travelling horses wasn’t as commonplace as it is today.
“He was a pioneer in that sense and we feel privileged to have been a part of his career. He came to us as a stallion from Arrowfield and helped to establish us in Victoria as a commercial stallion farm and we will be forever grateful to him for that – he is a big part of the Rosemont story. He was an absolute pleasure of a horse to deal with and much loved by everyone on the farm.”
“With the passing of time it is easy to forget what an absolute champion racehorse he (Starcraft) was – he won Group 1s in England and France at a time when travelling horses wasn’t as commonplace as it is today.” - Anthony Mithen
Arrowfield Stud principal, John Messara also paid tribute to Starcraft on Thursday.
“Starcraft was a terrific horse. I was only assessing stallions the other day and I came across his Newmarket win in the QEII – he left Dubawi in his wake that day. Dubawi is obviously a champion stallion these days but Starcraft was a better racehorse. We are very proud at Arrowfield to have played our part in his career,” he said.
Starcraft was inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame last year and his legacy will continue to live on through his sire sons, Star Witness and Graff and also his grandson Star Turn.
