COULD She’s A Star live up to her ambitious sounding name? Many will be hoping she does, and none more so than everyone at Kedrah House Stud where her sire Well Chosen stands.

She’s A Star won a bumper at Down Royal recently for Noel Meade’s yard and connections, including owner Philip Meade, would have to be hopeful of improvement given how weak the filly was. When she has a bit of time to strengthen up she will hopefully go on and do even better.

Bred by Christopher McKeever, She’s A Star was unsold at just €1,000 as a yearling at the Tattersalls November Sale when a yearling. Catalogued as Lot 3, she was not the biggest in size, but we now know that she possesses plenty of ability and the market support for her on her debut indicated that she showed lots at home on the gallops.

The first foal of her dam, She’s A Star is followed by a three-year-old filly and a yearling colt, both also by Well Chosen. The colt was sold for just €3,500 last November and Boyne Bloodstock who purchased him will be another party very happy with the Down Royal result.

Their dam Lobinstown Girl was also trained by Noel Meade and while the daughter of Luso failed to win for the Meath handler, he did place her to finish third in a maiden hurdle at Thurles and runner-up in a handicap hurdle at Punchestown. It was a pity that she failed to win a race as she was one of only two foals produced by her dam Q Bar and the other never ran.

Q Bar was a daughter of Phardante and she never managed to get her head in front on the racecourse proper, placing in a bumper, over hurdles and fences. She did however visit a winner’s enclosure in a point-to-point and she was handled by Dick Lalor.

top-class pedigree

While a lack of opportunities may have hampered the family a little in recent times, it is a top-class pedigree after that. Q Bar is a half-sister to Alexander Taipan and he won the Grade 1 novice chase at the Punchestown Festival some year back. He was trained by Willie Mullins for Miriam O’Callaghan. Alexander Taipan was the best of 10 foals bred by the three-time winner Fayafi but three of her siblings made a serious impact as racehorses.

Anzum was the best of the trio and a top-notch staying hurdler. He won 10 times over timber and his Grade 1 successes were achieved in the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot and the Tipperkevin Hurdle at Punchestown.

Jazilah won the Seagram Top Novices Hurdle at Aintree and this was the outstanding success in a career that brought nine wins, five of them on the flat. He also placed in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton. The other leading winner from Muznah was Sh Boom and he landed the Grade 2 Stayers’ Hurdle at Haydock Park.

Well Chosen is a winning son of Sadler’s Wells and has a very impressive winner to runner ratio. His leading winners include Mallards In Flight, a graded mares’ chase winner in 2015, and Wrong Turn, graded-placed at the Punchestown Festival for Tony Martin.

Perhaps She’s A Star can add further lustre to his stud record and she will have an attractive set of mare’s races to challenge for in the months ahead. Well Chosen commands a fee of just €2,500 for 2016.

Breeders, stallion masters and readers are invited to contact leopowell@theirishfield.ie and visit our website www.theirishfield.ie with breeding news