Star Exhibit Wins Bravery Award

Star Exhibit fights off Action to win the Perth Cup

Star Exhibit fights off Action to win Gr. 2 Perth Cup (Western Racepix)

マーク・トエインが、見たのは、多彩で長い歴史を誇るオーストラリアの競馬の一瞬でしかありませんでしたが、あれから、オーストラリアの競馬は、国の主要産業となり、さらに人々の情熱を掻き立てる娯楽となっています。オーストラアリアの競馬は多くの詩人に謳われ、皇室がパトロンとなり、国家の伝統として高く評価をされ続けてきました。、

With five runners – nearly a third of the field – leviathan breeder/owner, Bob Peters, was supposed to win Saturday’s Group Two TAB Touch Perth Cup over 2400m at Ascot. And win it he did.

It’s just that he wasn’t supposed to win it with Star Exhibit.

Sure, the now 7YO, Star Exhibit, had won the Perth Cup two years previously, but on the back of a 10 run, 20 month losing streak, it wasn’t likely he would be getting a mention in dispatches.

After all, the smart money was on Action, or Mississippi Delta or Perfect Jewel – also Peters’ runners – but it would be Star Exhibit that upset them all in a barnstorming finish. First run in 1887, this was Peters’ eighth success in the hometown Cup – a record – while Star Exhibit is the eighth horse to win the race on multiple occasions.

With 10 wins and over $1.2 million in stakes, Star Exhibit is one of 20 stakes winners for the now retired, Statue of Liberty, who stood at Sun Stud in Victoria, but whose best runner – Hay List – did all of his early racing in Western Australia (before heading east and running into a pretty good mare called Black Caviar).

While much is to be made of Peters’ success – deservedly so – spare a thought for his bonny mare, Star Encounter, who won a Pinjarra Cup in Peters’ cerise and white, along with placings in the WA Derby and WA Oaks.

Heading to stud in 2010, Star Encounter has produced three named foals: Star Exhibit, stakes winner Royal Star and Group Two WA Guineas winner, Perfect Jewel – all three running in Saturday’s Perth Cup!

Peters can likewise put his hand up as breeder of Perth stakes winner Enticing Star and 2018 Group One Railway Stakes winner, Galaxy Star – both out of half sisters to Star Encounter – but the real hero of the story is Star Exhibit’s fourth dam, Bravery.

What.a.mare.

A 1984 model by Zephyr Zip from the Prince Taj mare, Front Stage, Bravery would win six races including the Group One Queensland Oaks and Group One Queensland Derby for trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith before heading off to stud herself in 1989.

Going on to produce 10 foals of her own (nine of which raced and won, including stakes winners Brave Prince and Valourina), Bravery has 139 named descendants: 108 runners, 86 winners (79.6%) and an incredible 18 stakes winners … nearly 17%.

Pedigree enthusiast, long-time industry administrator and Aushorse researcher, Biddy Oquist, has kept a keen eye on Bravery’s comings and goings over the years … with good reason.

“My husband and I had raced a tried horse in the mid 70s called Radical that won a couple of races, but then I got asked by a friend of mine, Les Young, if I’d like to join a breeding syndicate he was setting up,” Oquist recalls. “He’d bought a mare called Front Stage from a dispersal on the Gold Coast in 1981 and I went into her with Les, Bob Lapointe, Bob Leffler and the pedigree buff, Mal Campbell.

“Front Stage’s first foal for us was unraced and then she missed and then slipped before producing her Zephyr Zip filly.

“Bravery started around 50/1 at her first start and her stablemate was a hot favourite, but it played up badly at the barriers and Bravery won.

“(Media icon) Mike Willessee bought into Bravery around the time she won the Oaks and we bred the first four foals from her which include Springfire, the great granddam of Star Exhibit.

“She was a wonderful mare and, for just a hobby breeder who had only raced the one horse before her, she did a lot to pay off the mortgage!”

After eventually ending up at Stan Johnson’s Twin Palms Stud, Bravery died in 2007, but will still make her presence felt at this week’s Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale where her descendants include Newhaven Park’s Redoute’s Choice colt, the second foal from a multiple winning daughter of Group Two winner Media (a granddaughter of Bravery) and Highgrove Stud’s More Than Ready colt from stakes placed Global Dream, a three quarter sister to Group Two winner Noire and great granddaughter of Bravery.

HOOFNOTE: The owner of Emancipation, November Rain, Diamond Shower and co., Bob Lapointe was a major owner in Sydney from the late 70s and would later purchase Muskoka Farm and serve on numerous industry committees. Canadian born, Lapointe also introduced KFC (thank you Bob!), Pizza Hut and Sizzler to Australia.

マーク・トエインが、見たのは、多彩で長い歴史を誇るオーストラリアの競馬の一瞬でしかありませんでしたが、あれから、オーストラリアの競馬は、国の主要産業となり、さらに人々の情熱を掻き立てる娯楽となっています。オーストラアリアの競馬は多くの詩人に謳われ、皇室がパトロンとなり、国家の伝統として高く評価をされ続けてきました。、

With five runners – nearly a third of the field – leviathan breeder/owner, Bob Peters, was supposed to win Saturday’s Group Two TAB Touch Perth Cup over 2400m at Ascot. And win it he did.

It’s just that he wasn’t supposed to win it with Star Exhibit.

Sure, the now 7YO, Star Exhibit, had won the Perth Cup two years previously, but on the back of a 10 run, 20 month losing streak, it wasn’t likely he would be getting a mention in dispatches.

After all, the smart money was on Action, or Mississippi Delta or Perfect Jewel – also Peters’ runners – but it would be Star Exhibit that upset them all in a barnstorming finish. First run in 1887, this was Peters’ eighth success in the hometown Cup – a record – while Star Exhibit is the eighth horse to win the race on multiple occasions.

With 10 wins and over $1.2 million in stakes, Star Exhibit is one of 20 stakes winners for the now retired, Statue of Liberty, who stood at Sun Stud in Victoria, but whose best runner – Hay List – did all of his early racing in Western Australia (before heading east and running into a pretty good mare called Black Caviar).

While much is to be made of Peters’ success – deservedly so – spare a thought for his bonny mare, Star Encounter, who won a Pinjarra Cup in Peters’ cerise and white, along with placings in the WA Derby and WA Oaks.

Heading to stud in 2010, Star Encounter has produced three named foals: Star Exhibit, stakes winner Royal Star and Group Two WA Guineas winner, Perfect Jewel – all three running in Saturday’s Perth Cup!

Peters can likewise put his hand up as breeder of Perth stakes winner Enticing Star and 2018 Group One Railway Stakes winner, Galaxy Star – both out of half sisters to Star Encounter – but the real hero of the story is Star Exhibit’s fourth dam, Bravery.

What.a.mare.

A 1984 model by Zephyr Zip from the Prince Taj mare, Front Stage, Bravery would win six races including the Group One Queensland Oaks and Group One Queensland Derby for trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith before heading off to stud herself in 1989.

Going on to produce 10 foals of her own (nine of which raced and won, including stakes winners Brave Prince and Valourina), Bravery has 139 named descendants: 108 runners, 86 winners (79.6%) and an incredible 18 stakes winners … nearly 17%.

Pedigree enthusiast, long-time industry administrator and Aushorse researcher, Biddy Oquist, has kept a keen eye on Bravery’s comings and goings over the years … with good reason.

“My husband and I had raced a tried horse in the mid 70s called Radical that won a couple of races, but then I got asked by a friend of mine, Les Young, if I’d like to join a breeding syndicate he was setting up,” Oquist recalls. “He’d bought a mare called Front Stage from a dispersal on the Gold Coast in 1981 and I went into her with Les, Bob Lapointe, Bob Leffler and the pedigree buff, Mal Campbell.

“Front Stage’s first foal for us was unraced and then she missed and then slipped before producing her Zephyr Zip filly.

“Bravery started around 50/1 at her first start and her stablemate was a hot favourite, but it played up badly at the barriers and Bravery won.

“(Media icon) Mike Willessee bought into Bravery around the time she won the Oaks and we bred the first four foals from her which include Springfire, the great granddam of Star Exhibit.

“She was a wonderful mare and, for just a hobby breeder who had only raced the one horse before her, she did a lot to pay off the mortgage!”

After eventually ending up at Stan Johnson’s Twin Palms Stud, Bravery died in 2007, but will still make her presence felt at this week’s Gold Coast Magic Millions Yearling Sale where her descendants include Newhaven Park’s Redoute’s Choice colt, the second foal from a multiple winning daughter of Group Two winner Media (a granddaughter of Bravery) and Highgrove Stud’s More Than Ready colt from stakes placed Global Dream, a three quarter sister to Group Two winner Noire and great granddaughter of Bravery.

HOOFNOTE: The owner of Emancipation, November Rain, Diamond Shower and co., Bob Lapointe was a major owner in Sydney from the late 70s and would later purchase Muskoka Farm and serve on numerous industry committees. Canadian born, Lapointe also introduced KFC (thank you Bob!), Pizza Hut and Sizzler to Australia.

The Power of Passion

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