Coolmore's Cox Plate winning sire Adelaide (IRE) has his star Group I winning filly Funstar back in action this Saturday in the Group I ATC Surround Stakes (1400m), but she’s not the only smart one from his first crop of three year-olds which also includes progressive filly Buba.
The Gerald Ryan trained Buba broke her maiden with a easy win at Kembla at her second start last spring and was resuming from a spell at Newcastle today.
Expected to need the run with no trial under her belt, Buba was a bit fresh at the gates and had to undergo a vet inspection before being allowed to start, but quickly showed she was more than up to the task.
Entered for the Group I ATC Australian Oaks, Buba settled just behind the leaders and strode clear to win the 1350 metre Class One event by a length and has now won two of four starts stamping herself as a filly of promise.
A $140,000 Magic Millions purchase for her trainer from the draft of Corumbene Stud, Buba runs for Carl Holt and is the fourth winner from Kylie, a half-sister by Danehill Dancer (IRE) to Group III winner Sugar Bella and stakes-winner Willy Jimmy from Group III winner Hula Wonder.
For a horse of his quality by one of the best sires in the world in Galileo, Adelaide was unbeatable good value last spring at a fee of $11,000 and covered 104 mares.
Among those mares covered by Adelaide was Funstar’s dam Starspangled (IRE), who is also the dam of another Group I winner in Youngstar.
Champion trainer Chris Waller has the highest regard for three year-old Funstar, who was last seen winning the Group I ATC Flight Stakes (1600m) by daylight in the spring.
“We don’t want to put too much pressure on her just yet,” Waller told Racenet.
“She will do the talking. She looks like she is a filly that we are going to be talking about leading into a lot of group races further into her career.
“I have learnt through the years that as much as you would like to see them out every two weeks, the more you leave alone early the longer you have them for so that’s why we didn’t run in the Light Fingers.
“She won’t have a taxing autumn. She will have three or four runs and a big old spring.”
