Flying the flag for what a really good Australian thoroughbred can achieve, Starspangledbanner is enjoying a fabulous run this year as a sire thanks to his superstar three year-olds Precise and Gstaad, but they aren’t his only three year-olds doing the business in elite company.
At Sandown in the UK, his progressive three year-old colt A Boy Called Susie ran second to Constitution River in the Group I Coral Eclipse Stakes for Donnacha O’Brien, who also had an eye on what was happening on the other side of the Atlantic.
The Donnacha O’Brien trained Starspangledbanner filly Kensington Lane had been dispatched to Saratoga for The Group I Belmont Oaks (1 1/8m) and she came up trumps.
Ridden by Joel Rosario, she slipped away turning for home and was not for catching. Kensington Lane scored by a length and three-quarters taking her overall record to three wins and two seconds from 10 starts.
“Given the way she’s broken out of the gate in Europe, we thought she could be forward,” said Phillip Shelton, racing manager for co-owner Medallion Racing.
“I told [Joel Rosario], ‘we want her to be within a couple lengths of the lead, if she ends up on the lead because nobody goes, that’s fine.’ He opened up by three [lengths] and I was hoping he didn’t go too early, but it never felt like he had to get into her too hard. She appreciated the circumstances of the race.”
Kensington Lane may remain in the US for another run with the Group I Del Mar Oaks on August 22 a possibility.
Already a Group III winner in Ireland, Kensington Lane is the 11th Group I winner for Starspangledbanner and is the best of three winners from five foals to race from Almost Always, an unraced Galileo daughter of triple Group I Oaks winner Ramruma.
The same family has a branch in Australia that has produced four time Group I winning mare Montefilia, who was bought by Yulong for $3.4million at the 2023 Inglis Chairman’s Sale.
The best son of Starspangledbanner is Cox Plate winner State of Rest (IRE), who shuttles to Newgate at a fee of $22,000 with his first Australian runners next season.
Footnote: Donnacha O'Brien's father Aidan and brother Joseph are the only Irish trainers to have won the Group I MVRC Cox Plate having been successful with Adelaide (IRE) (Galileo) in 2014 and State Of Rest (IRE) (Starspangledbanner) in 2021.
That is the race Donnacha has in mind for A Boy Called Susie after his gallant Coral Eclipse second.
"He's in great form this morning," O'Brien told Racing Post.
"One of our big aims is the Cox Plate, so we're thinking of working back from that. We'll have a look at the programme and see what makes sense.
"He's been showing up every time and bumping heads with very good horses – he's a very good horse himself."
