The $250,000 Group III Ladbrokes Hobart Cup (2400m) was the headline event on a champagne day of racing in Tasmania on Sunday and the winner was an interesting one from the breeding perspective being a 30-1 long shot mare with a commercial pedigree.
The powerful Ciaron Maher stable sent two runners across for the Cup including last year’s winner Strawberry Rock (IRE) and the race favourite Ziryab (GB), but they came up short with the Imogen Miller trained Starcraft mare Blonde Star taking the win.
It was a thrilling finish, but Erica Byrne Burke got the best from Blonde Star to snatch a narrow victory taking her overall record to eight wins and seven placings from 25 starts with prizemoney topping $318,000.
Blonde Star was having her first try at 2400m and with that box ticked will head next to the Group III Launceston Cup on February 25.
Blonde Star is a half-sister to Group III placed Titan Blinders and is the best of four winners from Blonde Mafia, a winning Redoute’s Choice mare that started life at John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud.
She was sold as a yearling at Magic Millions for $725,000 back in 2008 to Patinack Farm and was then bought back at their Dispersal Sale in 2014 for $410,000 by Strawberry Hill Stud.
Sold again in 2019 to Rosemont Stud for $52,500, she was then sent to Victoria and was covered by their stallion at the time Starcraft with Blonde Star the result of the mating.
A half-sister to Group winners Danroad, Strawberry Boy and stakes-winners Newtown Jet and Tippitaka, Blonde Mafia was sold several more times after that and was retired from stud duties in 2024 with her final foal a yearling filly by Profiteer called Starielle.
Blonde Star is the 21st stakes-winner for Starcraft, who passed away in 2022 and his daughters have proven influential leaving 20 stakes-winners to date headed by triple G1 winner Lady Shenandoah.
