It’s an exciting day of racing at Flemington on Saturday with the feature the Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes battling for the limelight with the Group III C S Hayes Stakes where the New Zealand sensation Catalyst takes on the pride of Queensland, Alligator Blood.
There is also a very competitive two-year-old race, the Listed Talindert Stakes where it is $5 the field.
No stable has enjoyed more success with their juveniles this season than Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and they have a couple of live chances here in the Star Witness colt Amish Boy and the Fastnet Rock colt Toscanini.
Toscanini as a yearling
Both will be looking to break their maiden, but Toscanini showed he is up to the class with a luckless fourth behind the top-class Hanseatic in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview at Caulfield on January 25.
While Toscanini is a son of Coolmore’s Fastnet Rock he represents eight generations of the best New Zealand blood.
Purchased by Aquis Farm / Ciaron Maher Racing for $270,000 out of the Curraghmore draft from Book 1 at the 2019 NZB Yearling Sale at Karaka, Toscanini is the first foal of the top-class High Chaparral (IRE) mare Soubrettes.
Purchased as a yearling for $50,000, Soubrettes won the Group III CJC Stewards Hcp and placed in the Group 1 New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes and ARC Westbury Classic.
She is by some way the best foal produced by the winning Thorn Park mare Burlesque whose pedigree page was lit up by the deeds of her half-sister Star Satire (Volksraad) who was honoured as the Joint Champion 3YO Filly Sprinter in NZ in 2000-01 and the Top filly on The 2000-2001 NZ 3YO Free Hcp. Her five wins included the Group 1 Otaki Maori RC WFA Stakes.
Star Satire proved a goldmine for Cressfield Stud with five yearlings selling for a total of $3,270,000.
But the Star Satire storey began in New Zealand when her owner/breeder David Paykel kept her first live foal, a filly by the champion Zabeel.
Retired after she was badly galloped on in the Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes at Te Aroha, Star Satire’s first foal by Fusaichi Pegasus (USA) died as did her second foal, a colt by Redoute's Choice, who was put down as a yearling due to laminitis.
Not a great start to her breeding career but Paykel was rewarded when along came the Zabeel filly Zarzuela and shortly after an offer from Australia for Star Satire that was ‘too good to refuse’.
Half-brother to Toscanini by American Pharoah purchased by Moody Racing for $360,000
Zarzuela was a gun winning four races including the Group III ARC Great Northern Guineas, Group II Championship Stakes and Group III Waikato Guineas and was third in the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks and fourth in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby.
She is the dam of Group III HBRInc Gold Trail Stakes winner Serious Satire.
Star Satire made a fabulous start for Cressfield Stud when her Flying Spur filly Satin Shoes made $700,000 as a yearling. She proved to be worth every penny returning over $800,000 with wins in the Group II ATC Silver Slipper, Listed Widden Stakes, Listed MRC Quezette Stakes and Listed Scone RC Ortensia Stakes.
Satin Shoes has made a fast start to her own career at stud with her Pierro filly Satin Slipper winning the 2017 Listed ATC Gimcrack Stakes.
Retired late last year after missing for three consecutive seasons, Star Satire is a half-sister to the dam of Group 1 Queensland Derby runner-up Petushki (Golan) and to the dam of the Listed AJC Keith Mackay Stakes winner Shoboard (Show A Heart) who is the dam of the Segenhoe Stud’s dual Listed Stakes winner Granny Red Shoes (Not A Single Doubt).
Star Satire’s dam Satirical (Kaapstad) is the final foal of the wonderful broodmare Crestello (Crest Of The Wave) who is the dam of the Group 1 ARC Easter Handicap winner Silver Nymph, the Group II STC Hill Stakes and Group II Theo Marks Stakes winner Silver Wraith and the Group II ARC Eclipse Stakes winner Silverello who are all by Silver Dream (GB).
Soubrettes is being given every chance to succeed at stud. Following Toscanini, she has a yearling by American Pharoah (USA) who was purchased by Moody Racing for $360,000 at Karaka 2020.
She has a filly foal by Merchant Navy and visited Triple Crown hero American Pharoah (USA) again last year.
