THE high-class Australian-bred sprinter Starspangledbanner had an essay in Racehorses of 2010 which concluded by reporting his retirement to stud at Coolmore in Ireland where he was due to begin his stallion career the following spring at a fee of €15,000. That, it seemed at the time, was the end of a highly successful racing career in both hemispheres, while in his new role it appeared he had plenty going for him. But events since then mean there is a lot more to say about Starspangledbanner, both as a racehorse and as a stallion.

The start of his stud career had already been delayed by his success on the track. A Group 1 winner in Australia over as far as a mile, Starspangledbanner was more of a natural sprinter as he underlined on joining Aidan O’Brien for whom he won the Golden Jubilee Stakes and July Cup. Instead of starting his stud career back in Australia later that year, as originally planned, those wins led to an extended campaign in Britain’s top sprints, and while he failed to add to those successes in either the Nunthorpe or the Sprint Cup, Starspangledbanner ended the season as Europe’s top sprinter and began his stud career in Ireland in 2011.