Classy Sprinter Castle Star Joins The Capital Stud Roster For 2024

Castle Star (Ire), one of the highest-rated sprinting sons of Starspangledbanner (Aus), will stand at Capital Stud in 2024.

A smart sprinter for Fozzy Stack, Castle Star landed the G3 Marble Hill S. He also won the First Flier S. at the Curragh during an exciting juvenile campaign that saw him narrowly miss out on Group 1 honours when runner-up to Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) in the Middle Park S.

Castle Star will stand alongside Alkumait (GB), Hunting Horn (Ire) and Mirage Dancer (GB) at the County Kilkenny-based stud in Ireland. 

He was described by Stack as “straightforward with a great constitution” and Capital Stud's Ger O'Neill said he was delighted with the acquisition. 

“We're delighted to stand a horse of Castle Star's calibre,” O'Neill said. “Throughout his two-year-old career he displayed speed, soundness and courage while also having the good looks and pedigree to boot. 

“One of the most appealing aspects of standing him for us is access to the Danehill sire line which is becoming more and more difficult. 

“He is also from the family of our very own Alkumait. We look forward to supporting Castle Star with some of our best mares and welcoming breeders to Capital Stud to see him.” 

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Fozzy Stack: ‘Aspen Grove Has Nothing To Lose In Belmont Oaks’

Fozzy Stack says that Aspen Grove (Ire) is something of a forgotten horse heading into the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. and revealed that there were genuine excuses for her below-par effort in the Irish 1,000 Guineas when the Justify filly was found to be in season. 

Aspen Grove carried Craig Bernick's distinctive silks to victory in a Group 3 contest at the Curragh last term and, with that valuable black-type success already secured, Stack felt connections could afford to be brave in travelling her over for Saturday's Grade I assignment. 

Stack said of the filly who is co-owned by Mrs. John Magnier, “She was in season when she ran in the Irish 1,000 Guineas so there was very much a plausible excuse for that effort. There's only one Guineas, she couldn't run in it next year, so that's why we took our chance. 

“Listen, she's travelled over well and she seems to have settled in nicely. Mark Enright is over here with her and he is happy with her so we'll see what happens.”

He added, “She has good form. She ran very well on her reappearance at Leopardstown when third in a Group 3 despite being caught wide the whole way round. 

“You could run around in Group 3s at home in Ireland for forty grand or you can come over here for a lot of money. She's already a Group 3 winner so she's nothing to lose and it all to gain.”

Aspen Grove is a general 8-1 chance with most firms for the Belmont Oaks and will have the assistance of Oisin Murphy in the saddle. 

Murphy's primary reason for jetting out Stateside is to ride Andrew Balding's The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) in the Belmont Derby and Stack said that it would have been “silly” not to snap up a rider of his quality for Aspen Grove. 

He said, “It made a lot of sense to get Oisin to ride the filly. He's coming over to ride The Foxes for Andrew Balding anyway so it would have been silly not to use him while he's here.”

Stack has enjoyed a good start to his domestic campaign in Ireland and is operating at a 17 per cent strike-rate with 11 winners under his belt. 

Indeed, he has already tasted big-race success on American soil when Yesterdayoncemore (Ire) (No Nay Never) won a Grade II at Del Mar in 2019.

Like Yesterdayoncemore, Stack says that Aspen Grove could well continue her career in America for Bernick, who he describes as an important supporter of his famous County Tipperary stable.

Stack said, “We'll get this over with first, but we will probably run her at Saratoga or at Del Mar after this. I'm very lucky to have Craig as an owner. He's a very nice guy and has a great interest in the game. He actually bred Aspen Grove.”

On the race itself, he added, “Graham Motion's filly [Mission Of Joy (Kitten's Joy)] sets a good standard and Chad Brown has a couple of nice fillies [Aspray (Quality Road) and Prerequisite (Upstart)] in there as well. 

“There are no easy Group 1 races wherever you go but they are usually not as difficult to win on the grass in America than they are in Europe so hopefully she can go close.”

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Justify’s Aspen Grove Shocks The Flame Of Tara

Craig Bernick's twice-raced maiden Aspen Grove (Ire) (Justify–Data Dependent, by More Than Ready) went postward as an unconsidered 66-1 outsider for Saturday's G3 Newtownanner Stud Irish EBF S. at the Curragh and pounced late in the one-mile former Flame Of Tara S. to secure a first win of any kind. The January-foaled bay debuted with a fifth over six furlongs at the Co. Kildare venue in May, but slipped to 12th when upped to seven at the same track in June last time. The eventual winner settled off the pace in rear through halfway. Coming under pressure to close approaching the quarter-mile marker, she quickened smartly to launch her challenge out wide with 100 yards remaining and kept on in impressive fashion from there to win by 1 1/4 lengths going away from Shelton (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).

“She ran well here [on Irish] Guineas weekend and we always knew she wanted further,” said winning trainer Fozzy Stack. “The ground was then lightning fast here on the Friday of [Irish] Derby weekend and she just didn't let herself down on it. We'll see whether we run her again [this year] or not.”

Aspen Grove, the third pattern-race winner for her first-crop sire (by Scat Daddy), is the first foal out of GIII Jimmy Durante S. runner-up Data Dependant (More Than Ready), herself kin to G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy) and Listed Denford S. victor Victory Dance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Her second dam Daneleta (Danehill), who ran third in the G3 Railway S., is the dam of G1 Dewhurst S.-winning sire Intense Focus (Giant's Causeway). Aspen Grove's third dam is Listed Athasi S. and Listed Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. victrix Zavaleta (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}), herself kin to G1 Gran Criterium hero Sholokhov (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who is also the dam of Daneleta's G3 Noblesse S.-winning full-sister Danelissima (Ire). Data Dependant has also produced a yearling colt by No Nay Never and a weanling full-brother to Aspen Grove.

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
NEWTOWNANNER STUD IRISH EBF S. (FLAME OF TARA S.)-G3, €65,000, Curragh, 8-27, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:40.75, gd.
1–ASPEN GROVE (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Justify
1st Dam: Data Dependent (GSP-US, $136,670), by More Than Ready
2nd Dam: Dane Street, by Street Cry (Ire)
3rd Dam: Daneleta (Ire), by Danehill
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Craig Bernick; B-Glen Hill Farm (IRE); T-Fozzy Stack; J-Mark Enright. €39,000. Lifetime Record: 3-1-0-0, $39,284. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Shelton (Ire), 128, f, 2, Mehmas (Ire)–Raas, by Iffraaj (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (10,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; 26,000gns Ylg '21 TATSOM; 150,000gns 2yo '22 TATBRE). O-Martin Schwartz; B-Sportsdays Ltd & Hamad Al Jehani (IRE); T-Paddy Twomey. €13,000.
3–Eternal Silence, 128, f, 2, War Front–Princess Highway, by Street Cry (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd (KY); T-Jessica Harrington. €6,500.
Margins: 1 1/4, HD, 1. Odds: 66.00, 2.25, 12.00.
Also Ran: Dame Kiri, Maybe Just Maybe (Jpn), Caroline Street, La Dolce Vita (Ire), Evening's Empire (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Commonwealth Cup Beckons For Castle Star

Craig Bernick and Antony Beck's Group 3 winner Castle Star (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will target the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, according to trainer Fozzy Stack. The colt broke his maiden in his third start, the Listed First Flier S. at The Curragh on May 3. He followed that effort with a two-length come-from-behind victory in the G3 Marble Hill S. there later that month. Second in the G2 Railway S. in June, Castle Star was fourth in the G1 Phoenix S. on Aug. 8. He improved to run Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}) to just a half-length in the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket in his 2-year-old finale on Sept. 25.

“He is in good order,” said Stack. “I'm happy with how he has wintered and the prime objective will be the Commonwealth Cup. We will probably give him a run or two beforehand. There are a couple of options at Naas and Navan, or there's a race at Ascot [Commonwealth Cup Trial] beforehand. It will be one or two of those.

“I don't think the plan will be to run in the Irish 2000 Guineas. I can't see that. I think he is a sprinter. He ran a cracker at Newmarket on his last run, but I don't see him getting a mile at that level.

“The race at Navan at the end of April is a possible starting point and there is a race at Ascot at the end of April. It will probably be one or two of those and if he ran at Ascot, he will probably just do Ascot and then Royal Ascot.”

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