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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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. 

Aspen Grove looking good ahead of Saturday's #Belmontoaks @Stack_Racing @craigb1818 @Deburghequine @oismurphy pic.twitter.com/kb3n7pT00q

— Mark Enright (@Markfishenright) July 3, 2023

“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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“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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“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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“We'll stay closer to home at the moment and we'll travel later on in the year,” said trainer Fozzy Stack. “He's shown already he's as effective over five and six. He'll go for the Railway, then maybe the [G1] Phoenix and the [G1 Prix] Morny or the [G1] Middle Park, something like that.”

Castle Star broke his maiden at third asking in The Curragh's Listed First Flier S. on May 3, and followed up in the G3 Marble Hill S. three weeks later.

“There's a chance he could be a Guineas type next year, but let's just get over this year first and then take it from there,” said Stack. “He's always worked well at home from the first day. He went nicely yesterday but we just decided we'd stay at home and go to The Curragh, which is just an hour up the road. It's a hassle travelling at the moment with Covid and there's also the Brexit situation so with another option upcoming, we felt it just made sense.”

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“She'd been working well at home,” said trainer Fozzy Stack. “She hasn't been away to work or anything and hasn't even worked on grass, so it was actually a very good performance.

“She'd shown plenty of talent at home. If it hadn't worked out we'd have been left with egg on our face if she'd run very green, but it worked out well. She's a smart filly.”

“Royal Ascot would be a possibility, or maybe the race on Derby weekend here,” Stack added. “It will be the Albany or that race, I'd imagine. We'll take our time and talk to connections and see what everybody wants to do.

“She gets six furlongs well, so the soft ground in Naas might have helped on that front, but I don't think she needs it soft. I'd like to think she could step up in trip for something like the [G1] Moyglare [Stud S.] later in the season.”

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Hermana Estrella is the second and final foal out of the unraced The Last Sister (Ire) (Lord Shanakill) who died after producing this talented performer. She was a half-sister to the G3 C L Weld Park S. and G3 Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial S. winner Lady Springbank (Ire) by Starspangledbanner's sire Choisir (Aus), who in turn produced the listed-placed Expressionism (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The third dam is the listed-winning and group-placed Santina (Ger) (Gimont {Ger}), whose descendants include the G3 Prix d'Arenberg scorer This Time (Fr) (Zafeen {Fr}) and the G3 Grosser Preis von Berlin winner Shinko's Best (Ire) (Shinko Forest {Ire}).

Sunday, Naas, Ireland
COOLMORE STUD IRISH EBF FILLIES SPRINT S.-G3, €68,000, Naas, 5-16, 2yo, f, 5f 205yT, 1:13.73, sf.
1–HERMANA ESTRELLA (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)
     1st Dam: The Last Sister (Ire), by Lord Shanakill
     2nd Dam: Severa (Ger), by Kendor (Fr)
     3rd Dam: Santina (Ger), by Gimont (Ger)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (2,500gns Wlg '19 TATFOA; 40,000gns Ylg '20 TATIRY). O-D Keoghan & Partners; B-Castle Farm Stud (IRE); T-Fozzy Stack; J-Chris Hayes. €40,800. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $49,547. Werk Nick Rating: D+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Quick Suzy (Ire), 128, f, 2, Profitable (Ire)–Snooze (Ire), by Marju (Ire). (€20,000 Ylg '20 GOFOCT). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners LLC; B-Oghill House Stud & Jasleen (IRE); T-Gavin Cromwell. €13,600.
3–Missing Matron (Ire), 128, f, 2, Vocalised–Bring Back Matron (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). O-Mrs J S Bolger; B/T-Jim Bolger (IRE). €6,800.
Margins: 1, 5HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 50.00, 6.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Contarelli Chapel (Ire), Freedom of Speech (Ire), Mambo Beauty (Ire), Heytesbury Lane (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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“They are two great stamps of horses and I am delighted to have them for my first enterprise into Flat stallions,” said McCathy. “I have been working to offer speed horses that could produce precocious types for some time and am excited for the future.”

Son of Rest, fourth for Fozzy Stack in the G1 National S. at two, won a pair of races the following season before finishing third in the G2 Flying Five S. At four, he returned in the Flying Five to finish a close-up second and later landed the Ary Gold Cup. Bred by Cheveley Park Stud, he is from the family of Champion 2-year-old Forest Flower.

“Son Of Rest is absolutely gorgeous, a magnificent horse,” added McCathy. “He stands about 16.2h and is a great stamp of a horse..He retired sound.”

Also standing at Meelin Stud this season, Flash Gordon, who was trained by Jessica Harrington, placed in the G3 Lacken S. and Listed Tetrarch S. at three and also placed in the 2020 Sprint S. at Naas. A 220,000gns yearling, he is out of juvenile winner Oasis Sunset, who is a half-sister to Champion juvenile and G1 Cheveley Park S. scorer Seazun (Zietan). The 5-year-old is from the family of G2 Molecomb S. winners Brown Sugar and Classic Ruler as well as Champion 2-year-old Toormore.

“Flash Gordon is a gorgeous, very athletic horse,” he continued. “He is a Group 2-placed son of Kodiac that won first time out. He cost 220,000gns as a yearling and is obviously a good-looking horse. He is a great walking horse and stands about 16h.”

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“We’ve lodged an appeal, so we’ll leave it at that,” said trainer Fozzy Stack. “It’s not just the £20,000 difference in prize-money, it’s the difference between finishing first and second in a Group 1. She’s come out of the race well and she holds an entry in the online sale this week. If she’s still in the yard after that we’d like to aim at the Cheveley Park. It’s always hard when the girls take on the boys, but she ran a cracker.”

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