She is a very talented mare, but also a very frustrating mare.
In saying this, Starelle is primed to win Danny O’Brien his second consecutive $202,250 Queen of the South Stakes (1600m) at Morphettville on Saturday, after triumphing with Fabric last year.
Starelle has had a consistent but not great career so far, the four-year-old registering just one win – the $200,000 Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on March 6 last year – from 18 starts.
There have also been eight placings for $373,000 in prizemoney.
But O’Brien’s assistant Ben Gleeson believes she can notch up her second win in the Adelaide feature, after she finished third in the $200,000 VOBIS Gold Distaff (1400m) at Caulfield on April 23.
“She’s terrific. First-up and it was a big run. I couldn’t have been happier with her first-up performance,” he told horsebetting.com.au.
“She just peaked in her run late and we’ve left plenty of room for improvement.
“This race has been a target for us since the start of this prep. She’s ready to peak on Saturday.”
That was the good news.
Now for the frustrating part of training Starelle – why she has only saluted once so far in her still-developing career.
“She’s a very tricky mare. She’s got to have her race run very much to suit her. She needs a strong tempo and she needs the gaps to appear,” Gleeson said.
“She’s always best when she’s snookered up and held onto the longest.
“Not every race pans out like that for her.
“She’s a frustrating mare but she’s also got a lot of quality. She’s a Group-winning mare and she’s placed in a lot of good races.
“So it’s hard enough finding a horse like that. We’re always pleased when she runs well. But she has been frustrating, so hopefully she can get another Group 1 on the board.”
It is looking like Saturday’s Group 2 feature – with Craig Williams to ride her – will be Starelle’s grand final.
“The autumn starts to fall away now. Queensland could be an option, but ideally we want her to be winning this race,” Gleeson said.
“She’s had a good career. We don’t need to push her.
“We won this race last year, so it’s a carbon-copy path in having her ready for this.”
Gleeson said Starelle had enjoyed her work at the O’Brien stable’s impressive Barwon Heads facility on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong.
“Ninety per cent of her prep has been at Barwon Heads. She came down only in the last week and had a good gallop at Flemington on the grass,” he said.
“She was cherry-ripe. Barwon Heads has been the focus of her prep.
“It’s a state-of-the-art, world-class facility. You’ve got the beach a five-minute drive away and an amazing 2000m grass track.
“She’s done all her gallops down there continuously. We always make sure it’s a nice, soft track so all her gallops have been on a very forgiving surface.
“And she works out on heavy sand, which keeps her sound and healthy. She’s absolutely thrived in that environment as any horse would.”
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