Major Star racing in Australia

Whats the story Ray with trial times like this,yes Menangle a lightening fast track but surely this is still a bit on the fast side for a trial run.Saw that Tritton and his very good Tin Tin In America horse Devine State settled for a 1:55:6 at the same trials while his other good one ANYTHING FOR LOVE won in 1.52.9 at Menangle recently,that being one of the faster times on the night.
As for Star well doesn't look like his new trainer has found any new tricks to help him,didn't think he looks as well as he did at Gaths and still a handfull for his driver,his pulling sure taking the sting out of his runs.The wide draw as so often turns into settling back,he has certainly shown often enough how keen he gets when that happens,hopefully he can get a few races rolling along in front and dictating,think he still has the odd 1.52 in him and really are not allot of races that that is necessary but yeah the second string tracks probably are his more attractive hunting ground.

Another 1609m trial at Menangle today in an even quicker time of 1:52.9 with sectionals of 28.0 / 29.0 / 28.6 / 27.3.
Unfortunately the same result for Star with a last placing 25.7m behind the winner. The way that the driver was leaning out the back of the cart I take it that Star was not comfortable with the driver or the driving style and pulled his block off and as a consequence was gone when it came to the all important finish.
I cannot see Star as being a competitive Menangle horse - the second string New South Wales tracks maybe, but not the lightening quick Menangle track.

Just watched the video . Saw the time for this race, 1.54.5,thats a dam slick time for a trial and a good bit faster than allot of Star's races.First Quarter: 28.0 Second Quarter: 31.4 Third Quarter: 28.5 Fourth Quarter: 26.6 ,didn't look such a fast 4th quarter with everyone so content to just follow each one to the line that the commentator said "looks like they have another round to go".
Star did get a couple of small reminders to keep up near the end but at the finish was right up on the back of Little Rascal I think it was so albeit last probably more than a good burn out the cobwebs first up run,would think the last quarter time pretty much applied to the whole field and not a time to try and better in a trial.
He was not pushed out the gate so his not unusual rambling beginning ,may have got a little keen early though hard to say and taken over to the rails when last rail-runner pushed out ahead of him and content to stay there.
So hopefully no injury issues,can't say he looked any better than before so curious to see how he performs in his first race for this stable.Found nothing googling this trainer,anyone know anything about him ?.
Driver J E Trainor I thought was Jack,a young kiwi but I might be wrong.
Race video - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

The trial results are up quite quickly and are concerning for Star. There is no video available so we can only comment on the published result in front of us.
Star was 12th of 12 and ended up 22 metres from the winner with the race run in 1:54.5 over a mile. Ended up being driven by JE Trainor whom I do not recognise by name.
For him to be sacked by the Gath stable and to run that poorly it does make you wonder if he is now carrying some sort of injury.

Well Star has had a good break,had been wondering what the story was with him until I saw your comment Des awhile back about no longer listed on Gath's website then Ray's news he had been transferred to a NSW trainer.
I have him blackbooked on the auss harness website and at last have news of him at the trials today 2 May  http://www.harness.org.au/fields.cfm?mc=ME020517T&s=MAJOR%20STAR%20NZ&f=1  
Little Rascal and Cyclone Kate among his companions in this 1609m run around.
New trainer a P J Hanson while driver is Todd McCarthy.Most interesting is he still has the same owners so they haven't given up on him yet.Looking forward to see what effect this change has on him.
Will always wonder how he would have got on in the USA if he had been sold there.See Sky Major has been reaping the benefits of being there.
Still haven't decided on a new syndicate option but trotsynd at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is very enticing though hard to pick the good one while the 2 at [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] look nice horses,the Better's Delight one of yours isn't it Des.
Saw a short video of that one tied  jogging behind a tractor , am surprised at the lack of video's for all these horses,thought the making of such would be a big help in selling these yearlings at the sales not to mention selling syndicates.
Was great to see Some Change win recently,loved the way he dug in at the end,hopefully he will develop into a really nice horse,like the breeding especially being a Somebeachsomewhere ,thats one sire I'd really like one from.Always wanted a Bettor's Delight so losing Cran's Dream without getting to the races was a big disappointment though getting Ideal Belle as a replacement was as good as it could get I guess.A share in a Belle foal one day would be nice for sentimental reasons.No harm dreaming !

Geejay- It is easy to understand why so few small scale breeders are still operating.  Uneconomic!  When you make an allowance for the initial cost,  breeders' time, service fees,  feed costs, vet bills, transport etc.etc.  it is a heartbreaking way to lose money.

The larger operators are more able to afford to purchase the best quality mares and if they already own a top stallion, so much the better.

It appears that the main buyers at the sales are those who have enjoyed high staked success with the less affluent scrambling to pick up whatever bargains may be left.  But there may well be a top horse out there among the newer stallions lots, which have been generally shunned.  Watch this space, I guess.

Mark Purdon's team has enjoyed a golden run with their youngsters over recent years but it  probably represents the tip of the iceberg.  When I read they have 47 yearlings in work or near to work, plus 34 older horses in the racing team, there must be a large percentage which do not make it to the racetrack, or if they do, do not pay their way.

Was watching the Karaka yearling sales yesterday when this one came under the hammer ,out of a half-sister to Ciccio Star, Major Star's dam.
Lot 50
Rockin Regal
Brown Colt   A Rocknroll Dance - Spirit Of Spring Vendor - Biddlecombe Equine Ltd Auckland Buyer - D Gale, Bulls $2,000
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Lot 50 – Rockin Regal (brown colt A Rocknroll Dance / Spirit Of Spring)
video - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

That must be a bargain,  service fee for A Rocknroll Dance  at Alabar is now showing $6,000 (plus GST) so surprised was no reserve to at least match the service fee.

See the vendor also sold a nice enough bred Auckland Reactor (whose first crop are making the headlines at present despite his limited numbers) for only $4000
Lot 133
Kid Granite
Bay Colt Auckland Reactor - Georgia's Jury   Vendor - Biddlecombe Equine Ltd Auckland Buyer - Jeremy Young, Pukekohe $4,000


Didn't look like a great turn-out at the sales from all the empty seats but guess all the big buyer's were there, chasing chosen lots only perhaps as 40 lots were passed in opposed to 102 sold and average down $5000 from last year. Looks like may just be the big studs with money to spend after these sales when it comes to the sale of our Ideal Belle, she must be a great buy though,just hope sale by tender is the wisest way to sell her,don't really know.

The race - [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
The tweet-
Andy Gath @apgath68
#MajorStar a frustrating horse for both trainer & punters. I think he prefers to be driven sit sprint so will need tempo to suit.A good hope
-
Hmmm !,how long has he had him and still it's an "I think" on driving him ! Interested on Gavin Langs opinion on that,at least hope the interview with the winning drivers at Melton after Stars last win will soon be online.
Anyway was outside 2nd line draw and Kate Gath back onboard .Strange start by the 2nd rowers,looked like they had all decided where they were going to settle before gate released,not the least Star far enough behind gate to drop straight in behind his neighbour on 2nd row =favourite Beach Boy Adios who tried hard not to land any further ahead than 2nd last of the gate,Star then ambling a not unusual lonely last.
Didn't appear to pull at all in this race despite first and second quarters in 30.3 and 30.4 ,what's happened ?. When Beach Boy A started a 3 wide move around on the last round a drag into it was on but this was a bit checkered and with the 27.6 and 27.3 last quarters by the other =fav who had dictated from the start was mission impossible.
Star seemed to be going good when KateG hooked out to round Beach BA on home bend but then she decided back to inside to rails better but then battled to make ground though hooked out from behind the 4th and 5th placers to make a little ground on them right at the finish as if perhaps coming again.
4th placed Aldebaron Macha only horse claimed before race so AndyG to continue in his frustrated state though shouldn't be too concerned if the odd win is still likely.Maybe he should try throwing the hopples away and see what he can do with him in that state,Mango never finished that experiment to my satisfaction !.
I see that the whole field underwent a post race blood test,isn't that unusual or someting to do with claimers races ?

Makes you wonder whats going on in the Major Star camp.After that good win in an $18,000 race last weekend he's back at Melton saturday night in a $7000 claimers race with again the max $25,000 claim price.
On top of that Kate Gath takes the reins again with Gavin Lang on Beach Boy Adios.Going to be very interesting to see if Star will race kindly for her like he did last week for Lang.
Change Gear also a rival again with a $15,000 price on his head.

Thanks Des,will def look into the W.A. syndicates and especially anything involved with Andy Gath, good luck with the Shadow Play filly .

geejay ... I love your work and your Major Star observations in particular. I have recently bought into a small share of a Shadow Play 2yo filly with Pacing W.A. syndicates. There are several horses that were purchased at last years sales that still have shares available as shown on their website if you are interested. I really like the look of Lot 14 from the recent APG Melbourne sales to be trained by Andy Gath for the Raceapacer syndicates and shown on their website and commented on by Andy Gath on his website. Unfortunately my dance card is full and my future in pacer ownership rests with the current ATC syndicates and the unnamed but very promising Shadow Play filly.

Well,Well,Well, alright,certainly not bad for a last start claimer !Star sure did look very comfortable for Gavin Lang,was he the key that's been so hard to find to settle him,seems his trainer wasn't optimistic from his own endeavours that he knew the answer when he tweeted before race about his 2 runners.
tweets by ‎@apgath68

Andy Gath @apgath68
MajorStar quite a frustrating horse who either pulls or doesn't get on the bit. Place hope only from his draw tonight
15h

Andy Gath @apgath68
ThreeWays wasn't far off Lazarus last week even though had a soft run. No Lazarus tonight & you'd expect he would be hard to beat if leads
--
His wife took the reins on Three Ways who sat parked and took the pulling role of Star,she sure had trouble controlling him ,was this race an example of a top experienced driver vs a pretty good driver or just a lucky day at the office.
Whatever was thrilling to watch Star win so well.
One thing I noticed was his tail wasn't the usual swishing out behind him,all seemed controlled and settled,Lang seemed to be out for a stroll when the commentator said the leaders really thrown down the anchors, though time at the end didn't quite indicate a slow pace.
Yeah that Hannon Memorial race sticks in my mind as was some merit in Stars run though in 8th place.Unfortunately his next race in the New Brighton Cup may have been affected by that cough he ended up with after his rough travels and unusually sudden cold temps on his journeys .Also the Hannon will be remembered by me as the beginning of the end of Star for us with him going from possible NZ Cup candidate to grass tracker to not worth keeping all within a short time-span.
Just hoping history not repeating itself now with Ideal Belle going from running a sensational last half at Alex Park to Auckland Trotting Cup possibility to time to retire also in rather short time.

Yes, a very good watch which saw Star looking very comfortable for Gavin Lang.
Doing some research I saw that Mighty Flying Mac, which finished third,  won the Hannon Memorial back in 2015, beating Christen Me, with Major Star back in 8th. place so nice to get one back. Change Gear also raced in New Zealand but was a bit below the best classes and did do some country racing.

It seems to be a trainer tester as to which Major Star will turn up on the day.  The good one is certainly very good.

I would have loved to have seen him race in North America where a 1.50 mile would be within his range, but the chance has probably been lost now.

Well, well, well, Major Star eased off the gate (not pulling) - settled two back on outside - last and 4 wide around the final turn - sprinted down the out side to beat the horse that raced on the fence behind the leader running a last half in 56.2 deep on the track. Not bad for a last start claimer. Great drive by G. Lang when you contrast it with his previous run when he was pulling out of control. He won like a very good horse (which we always knew). Definitely worth a look on the Australian Harness Racing website.

Major Star in friday night at Melton,$18,000 race,a little 7 horse field including his very good stablemate and last start Lazarus rival ,excellent 3rd,Three Ways along with a couple of popular kiwi's in Might Flying Mac and Change Gear,all drawn inside him for the 2240m mobile and I think they all like leading.
With the lightening fast tracks over there right now could be a good opportunity to add a nice time to his portfolio course would help if he put a bit of zip into his start and always a possibility they will go fast enough he may settle in the field without pulling his head of.
Most notable though is the new driver,Gavin Lang takes the reins,going to be very interesting to see how this goes and whether he can control the over-keeness and save Star from the wrath of the stewards.
Gath stable sure been flying high capturing The Great Southern Star with Glenferrie Typhoon NZ downing Speeding Spur and Sunny Ruby then Maximan turning the tables on Have Faith In Me in the free-for-all.

geejay wrote:about 7mins to race and trainer has tweeted earlier
Andy Gath @apgath68
#MajorStar quite a frustrating horse but racing well at present. You never know what to expect at the start with him but still a top chance
2h
 Is now 2.10 favourite but I guess a risky bet if he could decide to walk out from the gate,otherwise he should bolt in in this I would say.

Race over [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"Major Star almost out of control " say's the commentator mid way through the race as Star showed his pulling power.
Stewards comments 3 wide early,outside leader last mile,raced fiercely,run queried,last chance to race truly
last chance to race truly, does that mean he could be looking at a ban from racing if his pulling continues ?
From my view of the start doesn't look like he was pushed at all out of the gate,Why not ???

about 7mins to race and trainer has tweeted earlier
Andy Gath @apgath68
#MajorStar quite a frustrating horse but racing well at present. You never know what to expect at the start with him but still a top chance
2h
Is now 2.10 favourite but I guess a risky bet if he could decide to walk out from the gate,otherwise he should bolt in in this I would say.

Well thats a surprise Des they throwing Star into a $10,000 claimers race straight after putting him up against Hectorjayjay in the $60,000 Shepparton Cup , makes one wonder what's going on ,is their a problem ,are they just giving up on his pulling or does future not look juicy enough for them .
With $46,000 in the bank in the 7 months they have had him they now in the plus moneywise so maybe prepared to go for some easy pickings and not worried if they lose him in the process.
Look forward to Andy Gaths next tweet about him.
I see his owners Jenkscraft Pty Ltd were part owners of Flashing Red,winner of 2006 and 2007 NZ Cup's and also have Star of Memphis NZ and Star Of Dionysis NZ with Gath
If I had a spare $25,000 I'd probably claim him just for sentimental reason's .If he can continue at his current level would be a good buy, improve more then a great buy.

Major Star racing on the Ballarat Cup programme this Saturday. He is in the claimer with a $25,000 price tag. He could be a cheap horse for someone considering the average prices paid for untried yearlings.

Seems to go better for driver Ashwood.  Pulling hard at the rear of a quality field is suicide.
History being repeated . Every time he was"jumping out of his skin" to quote the trainer, he would turn it a disappointing performance.

Time for a freshen up I sense and then aim to get to the front as soon as possible upon his return.

Easy for Hector JJ ,uncontested lead.He ran pretty fast sectionals : Gross Time: 3:16:4 Mile Rate: 1:57:5 Lead Time: 82.1
First Quarter: 28.5 Second Quarter: 29.4 Third Quarter: 27.5 Fourth Quarter: 28.9
Star taken back then pulled most the way so never a chance ,I think I would've taken him round as soon as he shifted into his pulling mode,either the lead would have been there(doubtful) or it would be the breeze.that would have been better than pulling madly at the rear all race.

Gath's tweet before Star's meeting with Hectorjayjay and All Black Stride in about half an hours time at Shepparton

Andy Gath @apgath68
#MajorStar has hit the line strong in his last 3 starts & its probably the best I've had him going. Can't win but could run a place though
3h

Be interesting to see how he is driven in this race,Hector has all in his favour to lead out,wonder if he would be content to hand up to Star over this longer distance.
Go Star ! ,a good performance here will make us all think twice of letting go of Belle as easy as we let go of you !

Major Star is racing this Saturday night in the group 2 Shepparton Cup. He has drawn barrier 5 with the interdominion favourite and runner up Hector Jayjay in barrier 3. Two other good horses in Allblack Stride and Tactate have drawn 6 and 7. This is the horse that we sold because it had lost it's speed. He may seem out of his depth but his trainer Andy Gath is very shrewd and would not have entered him if he did not rate him a chance.

After leading and winning by 10 lengths two starts ago Major Star was dragged off the barrier from barrier two with a slow starter in barrier one ... taken back to four on the fence ... pulled out three wide down the back to get a ride home ... was going nowhere so went back to the inside ... made up heaps of ground on second, third and fourth in a 26.0 last quarter despite pulling so hard that it made the stewards comments. I am very glad that I didn't back it for a place (half length from third and closing rapidly).
Geejay ... whenever you are watching Major Star in Iceland you should not feel alone as I always watch, with the same interest as before the sale, from the home of the interdominion here in Perth and look forward to your analysis and comment that always follows the race.

Star, friday night, still making life harder for himself with his gatespeed and pulling, last on the rails bad enough in a race without getting into bother finding room to go near the business end in a race run with 1st quarter 32.0 ,2nd 31,3, 3rd 28.0 and on fire 4th of 26.0.
Thought he finished the race of well after watching the fight Kate Gath had holding him back. Trainer tweeted before race
Andy Gath @apgath68
#MajorStar has found the line better his last couple of runs since we put Block Blinkers on him.A small chance of leading tonight so EW hope
He was right about the small chance leading,those block blinkers didn't help his start but he did find the line good despite the pulling.
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