Starman: 'His only fault as a racehorse was his enthusiasm for the opposite sex'

Fans' Favourites is a weekly feature in the Racing Post Weekender where we talk to those closest to racing's most popular horses and find out why they tug on our heartstrings. This week's subject: Starman

When connections of Starman refer to him as the best they have ever seen, you know something special happened. Despite only running eight times, the impact was instant and his legacy will live long in racing.

In those eight starts the now five-year-old won five times and secured earnings of £476,380 in prize-money in a period of just 14 months. He set a new track record at Doncaster in August 2020 on just his second start and blazed to Group 1 glory at Newmarket in July 2021, justifying why he was described as one of the best sprinters in racing.

His career on the track was cut short due to injury, but Starman now stands at Tally Ho Stud in Ireland, and his trainer Ed Walker and owner-breeder David Ward are now able to sit back and enjoy what they witnessed in a fairytale period.

Walker, who was quick to say Starman was the best horse he has trained, explained how he was presented with a unique opportunity.

"Starman came to me as a second foal out of Northern Star, who was the first racehorse that David Ward ever bought," he says.

"He was broken in by Brian O’Rourke down the road in Lambourn and he came to me and he was a real gentleman, a giant of a horse. It was very apparent that he wouldn’t be running early on in his two-year-old career, so he was training along and he just continued to grow."

Patience was required at the start of Starman’s career at Kingsdown Stables. He didn't race as a two-year-old and his debut was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, belatedly hitting the racecourse in July 2020 at the age of three.

Starman made a winning debut on the all-weather at LingfieldCredit: Mark Cranham

"At the age of two we knew he was well above average and we felt we had a really nice horse. When racing resumed he was showing plenty at this stage and I was excited about him," says Walker.

"When he was ready to go, when racing returned, owners were not allowed to attend due to Covid restrictions and David and Sue Ward, who bred him, were understandably very keen to see him make his debut," adds Walker.

After winning by a neck on his debut at Lingfield, Walker felt that Starman, a half-brother to Sunday Star who was also trained in Lambourn, made a real statement as he beat King’s Lynn by two and a half lengths at Doncaster, breaking the track record in the process.

"Doncaster was his real arrival because I know King’s Lynn was very well fancied. I know they were quite bemused when he got beat and I think that is when he announced that he was a proper horse," Walker says.

On his following start the Listed Garrowby Stakes at York proved to be a huge step forward, and he passed the test with flying colours, and although he was well beaten in the Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on his final outing, Starman had undeniably made a big impact in his first season.

However, Starman didn't properly hit his stride until the following season and the Duke of York Clipper Logistics Stakes, which featured a very competitive field, provided him with a winning start to the campaign.

"It was a great day and he was up against some great horses," says Walker. "He never really faced weak rivals if you look back to see how decent his novices were. To beat Nahaarr and Oxted, the latter already a July Cup winner at that point, was confirmation we were dealing with a top-class horse," Walker says.

Starman (left) beats Nahaarr in the Duke Of York StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

After concluding that running him in the Champions Sprint was the "wrong thing to do," Walker knew that missing Royal Ascot in 2021 was something that needed to happen.

"The ground was horrible [in the Champions Sprint], but we thought we’d roll the dice given the fact it was the end of the season and it was the wrong thing to do. We weren’t going to make the same mistake again at Ascot the following year," he says.

The decision paid dividends as more success arrived in the form of the Darley July Cup. It was a very special moment for Walker too, as it was his first Group 1 win as a trainer.

"It was massively satisfying, but for most of the prelims I didn’t think it was going to happen," Walker recalls. "I was worried his mind wasn’t focused – he drifted in the market and the pundits on the television were not liking what they were seeing.

"However, as soon as Tom [Marquand] got on his back, he got his game face on and he got the job done well. He proved how far above the rest he was and he was a very talented horse.

"Due to Covid, and the injury setback late on in his racing career, I don’t think we really got to see enough of his brilliance. He was so good that day."

The victory at Newmarket is obviously a lasting memory for Starman’s connections, but Ward explained why his performance at Doncaster the year before was a major standout moment in Starman's career.

"I think the July Cup was understandably up there," he says, "but the penny really dropped he would be an exceptional horse when he won his second race at Doncaster.

"He ran well on his debut on the all-weather and at that point I never had a first-time out winner, so that was exciting. When he won that day at Doncaster I thought he was magnificent and although he was still learning, that was the day I always think of as the lightbulb moment with what we had.

"The July Cup was fantastic, yes, but we kind of knew he had that performance in him. The Doncaster race was the one that flicked the switch for me and made me realise we had something special," admits Ward.

The connections stand with Starman after his victory in the Darley July Cup at NewmarketCredit: Mark Cranham

The win at Newmarket proved to be Starman’s last of his career. He finished third in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville before beaten just a short head by Emaraaty Ana in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock on his last appearance.

However, all good things must come to an end and plans to run in the Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot in October 2021 had to be aborted due to an injury setback.

Even though Starman only made eight starts under the guidance of Walker, the trainer felt he showed enough in his career to be regarded as one of the top-class sprinters that racing has seen in recent years.

"It was very disappointing that we didn’t get to see more of him. He showed his brilliance more than once, but only once on the higher stage. I think everyone appreciated how good he was.

"It is a great story and he is a remarkable horse. I think Tally Ho has been blown away by his professionalism and he was a pleasure to train.

"He was a gentle giant and he was very kind, a really lovely horse to have a string. His only fault as a racehorse, which is now standing him in good stead as a stallion, was his enthusiasm for the opposite sex."

Despite Starman’s short career on the racetrack, Walker is thankful to have had the opportunity to train him and will always have fond memories of the horse who provided him with a maiden Group 1 triumph.

"I have trained a lot of talented horses but he is the only Group 1 horse I have trained. I kind of felt that if he didn’t win a Group 1 I would never win one. In my mind he was so far ahead of the rest in his division. He is definitely the best horse I have trained so far," he says.

"It is the sad thing with Flat racing as these stars don’t necessarily stick around for long, but we were so pleased we got that big one ticked off. He was a very impressive horse, and he is sorely missed, but we are very grateful to have had him," Walker adds.

One of the reasons why Ward first got into racing was because of his enjoyment when he used to go to the races with his grandfather and father. Now that he has established himself in the sport, a stallion career for Starman was something he had been thinking about for a while.

"While I wanted to continue to race him, because he was doing so well, for me where I was in my journey with race horses, and this is by far the best one I have ever had, I was really focused on making sure I could get him to be a stallion," Ward says.

"I was keen to run still, but my number one priority was to protect this horse and I wanted him to be a stallion. It was a change of priorities, and while we got invited to these different races with big prize-money, he still paled into significance for me if I could get him to become a successful stallion somewhere and enjoy that journey with him."

Starman and Tom Marquand get in front in the Darley July CupCredit: Mark Cranham

Ward, who is from Ashbourne in Derbyshire, explains how he wants Starman to continue his influence in racing and by retaining ownership in him.

"I'm not Juddmonte or fabulously wealthy," he says. "I'm an ordinary chap who has done pretty well commercially. I'm going to have lots of horses by Starman, probably about ten or 12 of his horses every year to race. The journey continues and that’s the good thing with him being a stallion because I have retained ownership with him at Tally Ho Stud.

"People with huge capabilities who have been in the game longer than me have been able to have a horse that has become a successful stallion.

"For me, the biggest satisfaction is that I have had a horse who has proved himself to be champion on the racetrack and now has the opportunity to become a successful stallion.

"I am not doing it for me, I am doing it for the horse and his legacy and that is the most important thing."

Read other Fans' Favourites . . .

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Trueshan: 'He can quicken after a long way and just power away, it’s relentless'

Denman: 'He could pick you up and chuck you out the box or take your arm off'

Desert Orchid: 'People thought it was an act of lunacy to run over three miles'

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