Trainer Bil Ryan harbours Group 1 ambitions for his mighty mare Still A Star, who brightened a gloomy day at Caulfield with a convincing win in the $140,000 Listed Thoroughbred Club Anniversary Vase (1400m).
Given the run of the race by Michael Poy, the 4yo daughter of Toronado (IRE) kept up a strong gallop in the straight to defeat the Smart Missile mare Missile Mantra by one and a quarter lengths with the Deep field gelding Riddle Me That a head back in third.
It was the sixth stakes win for Still A Star and the first outside her native Tasmania.
Suffering from lung cancer, Ryan said he hopes Still A Star can measure up to races like the Group 1 Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield in the spring.
I’d love to win a Group 1 with her if she’s good enough. We’ll certainly give her a chance,” Ryan said.
“I thought she was cruising (in the run). She had a kick in the finish. She’ll go home, go to the paddock and I’ll bring her back and get her ready for the spring and see if she can go better."
Still A Star has a big fan in Michael Poy, who said the mare has Group 1 form.
“She was beaten a nose by Mr Quickie, a dual Group 1 winner who franked his form last week running second in Adelaide,” Poy said. Even Missile Mantra ran fourth in the Empire Rose beaten a length-and-a-half so there’s Group 1 form around her its just if she measures up.
“Got to say a big thanks to all the connections and the team that made the big trip from Tassie. They came over the other week and just got pipped by Mr Quickie. She’s a horse that has definitely improved from that run. We’ve seen the best of it today.
“I knew that they were going to roll off the fence as they did in the previous race, once the rain came. So, I knew that I was always going to get that run to the inside. which probably wasn’t the place to be heading, but luckily I had a nice horse underneath me. The run came and she was strong to the line.”
A $13,000 purchase by Monica Ryan out of the Alva Stud draft at the 2018 Magic Millions Tasmanian Yearling Sale, Still A Star advances her record to nine wins and six seconds from 16 starts with earnings of $664,490.
The daughter of Toronado (IRE) is out of the Brisbane winning Casino Prince mare Lita, a daughter of the top-class Stravinsky mare Royal Asscher, the winner of the Group III MVRC Red Anchor Stakes, Listed VRC Ottawa Stakes and Listed MRC William Crockett Stakes and was third in the Magic Millions 2yo Classic.
Purchased by Alva Stud for $20,000 at the 2015 Inglis Australian Broodmare Sale, Lita missed to Alpine Eagle in 2018 and foaled a colt by Spendthrift Farm’s Bolt D'Oro (USA) last spring.
Still a Star was the second stakes winner on the day for Toronado (IRE) after Senor Toba in the Frank Paker Plate at Randwick.
