Big shoes to fill: Star Thoroughbreds team up with Vin Cox

Cover image courtesy of Star Thoroughbreds

On Wednesday, Star Thoroughbreds announced that Vin Cox would be their Yearling Selection Advisor for the 2026 sales series. The decision comes off the back of an eight-year association with Brett Howard of Randwick Bloodstock who has announced his retirement.

A long and successful association

The Star Thoroughbreds and Randwick Bloodstock team have been purchasing yearlings for over eight years, and recent spring star Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) is a big highlight. The G1 Australian Derby winner has garnered over $2.7 million for her connections and was a NZ$180,000 purchase from Rich Hill Stud's New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale draft.

“Brett advised me recently that he had decided to retire at the end of the year, and therefore I needed to find a replacement, which I knew would be very difficult as we’ve worked together very successfully for more than eight years now,” said Star Thoroughbreds’ Denise Martin.

“Some days after hearing his news, it occurred to me that Vin Cox may be available to assist me. Having known him for the lifetime of Star’s operation, I felt it wouldn’t be inappropriate for me to at least ask the question as to if he’d be available and interested.

“To my absolute delight, he said he was available and he would be interested. It’s been something of a revelation learning that my long term association with Brett has come to an end because it’s been very enjoyable and extremely successful, but looking forward now, I’m anxiously awaiting January and working closely with Vin in the forthcoming yearling sale season.”

Humble Cox has big shoes to fill

Vin Cox, whose resume includes Managing Director of Godolphin Australia and Magic Millions, as well as General Manager at Yulong, paid tribute to the record of Howard and Star Thoroughbreds. Star Thoroughbreds’ recent Group 1 winners include Aeliana, Invincibella (I Am Invincible), and Espiona (Extreme Choice).

“I’m very excited to be joining the Star team. I’m slightly intimidated by the success that Star have had over the last little while, particularly under the guidance of Brett Howard,” said Cox.

“I’ve been looking to do some freelance stuff, and this fitted the bill perfectly. I love being a part of yearling sales, and going to horse sales, and trying to select yearlings to turn into racehorses. Working with Denise, who is a highly ethical and elite operator, is right in my sweet spot.

“I’m in awe of what Brett has achieved in his time with Star Thoroughbreds and under Denise’s guidance and being part of Chris Waller’s stable. It’s a formula that has worked exceptionally well. Hopefully, I can contribute.”

Nicely situated in the market

The arrangement will be similar to the one with Brett Howard, with Cox working as a freelance consultant to Star Thoroughbreds. “We will ask Vin to prepare a reasonably smallish list of suggested purchases, probably about 10 to 15 per cent of the Magic Millions catalogue for example, and we will review those yearlings with Vin and with Chris (Waller)’s vet Ross Alexander, and then we will cull that to just over half and hopefully come away with 12 or 14 yearlings,” said Martin.

“We are not looking to buy the half-million dollar yearlings. We are looking to buy quality that we can afford, and I would say this year the lowest priced yearling we bought was $140,000 and the highest was a Wootton Bassett colt for $420,000 and everywhere in between.”

Martin gave a quick shout out to 3-year-old filly Chatterley (Snitzel) who runs in the G3 Vanity Stakes at Flemington on Saturday. “Chatterley hasn’t drawn favourably in barrier ten with Tommy Berry to ride. When she ran last time, she ran in Sydney in the Reginald Allen and was third on Everest day and last year, the Reginald Allen was won by Aeliana so it was fate. A good form race.”