IN this era of massive foal crops, it is very hard for the horse with small numbers to make an impact, but Starspangledbanner has beaten the odds, overcome an early fertility issue and become a sought-after stallion. He made such a striking impression with his small first crop that he was brought back from Australia to rejoin the team at Coolmore, and last year he had a foal who made €165,000 in Deauville and three of them who fetched six-figure prices in Goffs.
The top-class sprinter and miler, a Group 1 star in both Australia and England, is a son of Choisir (by Danehill Dancer) and so is yet another notable representative of the Danehill branch of the Danzig (by Northern Dancer) line.
His stakes-placed dam Gold Anthem, by Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes winner Made Of Gold (by Green Forest), is also responsible for Gold Chant (by El Moxie), who is the stakes-placed dam of Group 1 Schweppes The 1000 Guineas heroine Amicus (by Fastnet Rock).
His third dam is the Australian winner Olympic Aim (by Zamazaan) and so he comes from the family of the multiple Group 1 stars Elvstroem (by Danehill), Haradasun (by Fusaichi Pegasus) and Highland Reel (by Galileo) – the latter a record-breaking globetrotter and new member of the Coolmore team for 2018.
Starspangledbanner also has a son of his own at stud already. That is the lightly raced Group 1 Prix Morny and Group 2 Coventry Stakes hero The Wow Signal, an Haras du Bouquetot stallion whose global first crop includes a colt that made A$80,000 at the recent Gold Coast Yearling Sale in Queenland. The Starspangledbanner yearlings offered at the same sale included an A$360,000 colt.
The Wow Signal was part of that excellent first crop and so too are Anthem Alexander, Home Of The Brave and Spangled. Anthem Alexander beat Tiggy Wiggy in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, chased home that same star in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, took the Group 3 Lacken Stakes at Naas at three and then finished third to Muhaarar in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.
Home Of The Brave is a Group 2-placed dual Group 3 winner and triple listed scorer, while Spangled’s five wins include the Group 3 Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster.
His pattern-winning quartet are backed up by Last Gift, Meliora and Silver Rainbow, each of whom is a stakes winner from that initial crop, and it is only a matter of time before his blacktype tally grows.
STARSPANGLEDBANNER (AUS), Chesnut 2006. Champion older sprinter in Europe in 2010. Champion sprinter in Australia in 2009-2010. Won seven races, £1,210,178, from 5 furlongs to 1 mile, at 2 and 3 years including, Darley July Cup, Newmarket, Gr.1, Golden Jubilee Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Sportingbet Oakleigh Plate, Caulfield, Gr.1, The Age Caulfield Guineas, Caulfield, Gr.1, H D F McNeil Stakes, Caulfield, Gr.3, RSL Vain Stakes, Caulfield, L, also placed 2nd Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, York, Gr.1, Newbridge 200 Renaissance Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3, Festival of Racing Stakes, Flemington, L, and 3rd Newmarket Handicap, Flemington, Gr.1, and Arrowfield Stud Blue Diamond Prelude(cg), Caulfield, Gr.3.
Retired to stud in 2011, and sire of the winners of over 143 races, and over £2,500,000, including THE WOW SIGNAL (IRE), ANTHEM ALEXANDER (IRE), HOME OF THE BRAVE (IRE), SPANGLED (GB), OF THE BRAVE (AUS), LAST GIFT (IRE), MELIORA (IRE), SILVER RAINBOW (IRE), Moonraker (GB) and Imtiyaaz (IRE)
Stands at: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Co Tipperary, Ireland.
Contact: Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Mathieu Legars or Jason Walsh
Telephone: +353 (0)52 6131298
Email: sales@coolmore.ie
Web: www.coolmore.com
Fee: €15,000