Never off the board in five starts, the Rubick filly Peggy Selene looks well-placed to add a second win to her record at the first metropolitan meeting of the new season at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Narrowly beaten by the next start stakes-winner Parlophone, after a torrid run over 1000m at Sandown Hillside at her most recent start, Peggy Selene heads a field of 11 newly turned three-year-old fillies in the Andrew Gilbert/ Gavin Lisk Hcp over 1000 metres.
The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained daughter of Rubick began her career with Pat Sexton at the Gold Coast, finishing runner-up at her first two starts.
Bred by Go Bloodstock, Peggy Selene was purchased for just $9,000 out of the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft at the 2018 Inglis Great Southern Weanling Sale.
She is the third winner from as many foals out of the stakes-placed General Nediym mare Star Salute.
Trained by Peter Moody, Star Salute began her own career with a similarly consistent record as that of her daughter.
A first up winner at Sale, Star Salute won two of her next three starts before splitting to Celebrity Girl (Starcraft) and the future dual Group 1 winner Platelet (Strategic) in the Listed Cap D'Antibes Stakes (1100m) at Flemington.
Bred by Baramul Stud, Star Salute was purchased by Moody for $100,000 at the 2010 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale.
She was back in the sales ring two years later when purchased Belmont Bloodstock Agency for $42,000 at the Inglis Australian Bloodstock Sale just a month after her final start.
Fast forward four years and Star Salute was purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock/Criterion Glenhaven for $140,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when carrying a colt by Shamus Award.
That colt, named Brutality, was purchased by Joe Pride for $40,000 at the 2018 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale.
Brutality took his record to two wins, two seconds and a third from nine starts when he ploughed through the mud at Warwick Farm on Wednesday for a dominant win.
Star Salute was purchased to be covered by Sir Own Glenn’s champion Criterion. The son of Sebring’s well documented fertility problems resulted in her coming up negative and Star Salute was a late addition to the court of Coolmore Stud’s popular Rubick, with Peggy Selene the result.
Star Salute is one of five winners from six to race out of the Spinning World (USA) mare Spinning Star who is a half-sister to the Listed stakes-winner Be my Princess (Chief’s Crown) the dam of the South African stakes-winner Flying Princess (Flying Spur).
Spinning Star is out of the Sir Tristram mare My Dear Rebecca who is a half-sister to the stakes-placed St Clemens (London Bell), the dam of St Clemens Belle who claimed the scalps of Iron Horse and Slavonic in the 1999 Group 1 Fruit 'N' Veg Stakes (Kingston Town) Classic).
Star Salute made her fourth trip to the sales when consigned to the recent Inglis Australian Easter Broodmare Sale. She sold for $40,000 carrying a positive test to Russian Revolution so her new owner would have had a big result should Peggy Selene be her second city winner in the space of four days.
