Wanabefamous'
gritty win in Saturday's Listed Taumarunui Gold Cup evoked memories of one of
New Zealand's greatest sires, Star Way (GB).
The Ralph Manning-owned and trained five-year-old gelding secured the most
important of his seven wins from 23 starts, in the hands of Rory Hutchings
fighting back after being headed by both runner-up Addictive Habit and
third-placed Thorn Prince.
Wanabefamous hails from the last crop of Windsor Park Stud stalwart stallion
Star Way, who died in 2008.
The Star Appeal stallion produced just four foals in his final crop at age 30,
having only served a handful of mares in his final years at stud.
Wanabefamous was bred by the late Ada Parnwell and handpicked by Manning from a
group of weanlings he inspected on her farm.
"For a stallion to be leaving stakes-winners at 30 is amazing," said
Windsor Park's Mike Moran.
"It was great for Ralph and great for Star Way that Wanabefamous got
home."
Wanabefamous credited Star Way with his 61st stakes win, drawing the stallion
level with Centaine as equal sixth ranked on the all-time New Zealand sires of
stakes-winners list. Zabeel heads that list with 152.
Bought by Nelson Schick as a four-year-old, having won a stakes race at Royal
Ascot as a two-year-old, Star Way began stud duties at Windsor Park in 1981
with immediate success.
He was champion two-year-old sire with his first crop, which went on to win a
then world record five Group One races. Among them was Waverley Star.
"He was a phenomenal sire. He set a world record in his first crop of five
Group One winners and that was only broken by Sadler's Wells," Moran said.
"And he did it again with five Group One winners from his fifth crop as
well. He was a great stallion and he's the damsire of Encosta De Lago so we'll
see his name in a lot of pedigrees to come."
Among Star Way's 61 stakes winners are 18 Group One winners. He was the Dewar
Award winner for combined Australasian stakes earnings in 1990-91.
Wanabefamous was Star Way's first stakes winner since Cog Hill won the Gr. 3
Lord Mayor's Cup in Brisbane in 2006. - NZ Racing Desk