Starspangledbanner ex Hightime Heroine breeze up colt

Race entries

Purchased at the Arqana Breeze Up Sale - known as the most prestigious of the breeze up season. The Sale which, last year, produced The Cheveley Park winner LEZOO & The Mill Reef winner SAKHEER.

This year, we had 3 naps earmarked in our Arqana catalogue, from the 192 Breezers that were in there. We were lucky enough to buy 2 of our 3 naps. Admittedly this fellow, we ranked 3rd of the 3, yet we feel he represents the BEST VALUE FOR MONEY IN THE SALE. Obviously, that’s a subjective statement at this stage, however here’s our working -

27 horses at the sale made €200,000 or more. If you win any race on debut on the track, you’re not worth that (150k more likely), so unless you are the very best horse in the sale e.g. the fastest timer in the race, it beggars belief how any horse in the sale, given it’s been beaten in the race, can be valued at these figures - such are the vagaries of the thoroughbred market however, it’s nonsensical at times. A further 46 horses made between the €100,000, that we gave for this fellow, and the €200,000 mark too, so why do we think this fellow is such a great buy?

Watch his breeze, here:

He finished 5th overall in ‘the race’, having snatched two positions late on, i.e., he was 7th in ‘the race’ (based on times) after 2f, yet finished in 5th place 75 yards later, at the end of his breeze. Extrapolate that out, over a further 2 furlongs or so, and although it’s anyone’s guess what actually would happen, we’d suggest he’d be odds on to be ranked higher than 5th position.

That’s our pitch for being the “best value in the sale”. Time will tell of course. He’s no oil painting and is a sharp and racy individual, so even those would-be purchasers who are rather times driven, as are we, and who and can spot a gallop out trend when they see one, may not have fallen in love with him back in the yard when they’ve gone to view him. Handsome is, as handsome does, we’d suggest.

Watch his profile video, here:

By the Coolmore stallion, STARSPANGLEDBANNER, he goes to the World class trainer, in Newmarket, Michael Bell. This colt is literally ready to rock and roll, just needs a name and we can be entering him up for the races. We can look to fast track a fast horse. Sprinting will initially be his game, but he could stretch out to a mile in time. His 2yo and 3yo careers will most probably be his best, so we’d most likely look to sell him at the end of the Flat season 2024, possibly sooner, were a whopping offer, like 1.2million guineas did, for The Platinum Queen.

An exciting journey lays ahead.

Here's Michael, with an update video on the day he arrived from Deauville:

At exercise on Warren Hill (20th May):