Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday May 20

With service fees on the rise, finding value in an extremely hot market is getting tougher.

With all the stallions around him in the race for leading first season sire receiving significant increases in 2021, Star Turn remains at $16,500. With the likelihood of a solid return in the sales ring, that should ensure the handsome chestnut another quality book.

The Vinery Stud stallion has two leading chances in Saturday’s Listed City Property Carter Stakes (1200m) at Doomben.

The market does not seem overly impressed with the fast-finishing win of the Toby and Trent Edmonds-trained Me Me Lagarde when on debut at Ipswich on May 3. The Gerry Harvey homebred has been rated a $21 chance in a field led by the Capitalist filly Socialist, the $3.30 favourite.

The second favourite is the admirably consistent Star Turn filly Stellar Magic.

The Proven Thoroughbreds colour-bearer has looked to be a cut above average since her luckless career debut in the first 2-year-old race of the season at Eagle Farm back in October last year.

A $100,000 purchase out of the Yarraman Park Stud draft at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, Stellar Magic has not finished further back than second in five starts.

Trained by Steve O'Dea and Matthew Hoystead, Stellar Magic finished solidly at her most recent start when second to Miss Hipstar in the Listed Dalrello Plate (1000m) at Eagle Farm.

That followed a hard-fought win over 1000m at Eagle Farm on April 17, where she defeated Invinsible Tears, who franked the form when second in the Group II Spirit Of Boom Classic at Doomben last week.

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Stellar Magic a $100,000 Inglis Classic yearling

Stellar Magic is the third winner from five to race out of the talented Magic Albert mare Al’s Magic Miss.

Trained by David Payne Al’s Magic Miss (Magic Albert) won on debut at Randwick at two. She was then fourth in both the Group II Silver Slipper Stakes won by Satin Shoes and Group III Sweet Embrace Stakes behind Shared Reflections, Streama and Paine In The Glass.

The daughter of Magic Albert went on to win at Canterbury and Warwick Farm and was second behind the brilliant Karuta Queen in the Listed Heritage Stakes at Rosehill.

A half-sister to the Listed Tommy Smith stakes runner-up Carlton Forward (Charge Forward), Al’Magic Miss is a daughter of the stakes-placed Bianconi (USA) mare Carlton Ace. a sister to the Listed MRC Debutant Stakes winner Carlton Spirit (Fraar).

The third dam of Carlton Ace is the top-class 2yo Poppy Show (Village Square), a homebred for Stan Fox, who won the Talindert Stakes and was runner-up to New Gleam in the third running of the VRC Blue Diamond Stakes.

Peter Moody purchased an I Am Invincible yearling half-brother to Stellar Magic for $190,000 at the Gold Coast earlier this year. He has been named He’s Essential.

After foaling a Hellbent filly last spring, Al’Magic Miss was bred back to the son of I Am Invincible.

Star Turn (image Mark Smith)

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