Highland Starlight at Manor House Farm Stud doing her best Bayja impression December 2015We bought Highland Starlight (2006 mare by Dixieland Band out of a Star De Naskra black type mare called Fran's Flash) at the 2014 Tattersalls December Breeding Sale. She had been brought to the UK after being bought at the Keeneland yearling sales for $62,000 and went into training with Clive Cox although she did not trouble the judge in seven starts and had a best rating of 65.
"Starlight" then went to the paddocks and produced a 2011 filly by Sakhee called Highland Stardust who had the same owners and also went into training with Clive Cox with pretty much the same result! No wins or places in five runs and a moderate 58 rating.
Starlight's second foal Cognitive Ease (2012 by Dutch Art did much better and won over 7f in Ireland in 2015 trained by Paddy Twomey. Cognitive Ease, rated 76, only ran twice before being sold off to race in Hong Kong in September 2015 under his new name of Digital Pioneer. In 2015 Starlight produced a good Lethal Force colt (named Viscount Wilson) who was sold at Goffs Yearling Sale in 2016 to Tally Ho Stud and subsequently sold on at the Goresbridge May 2017 breeze up sale to Gaelic Bloodstock for €25,000. He had a few decent runs at the back end of 2017 in Ireland. In 2016 she had a colt foal by Mayson who was sold to Ballavina Stud at the Tattersalls 2016 December Foal Sale and then for £52,000 at the Goffs UK 2018 Breeze Up Sale to Crampscastle Bloodstock. She foaled a filly to Garswood in late February 2018 and then visited Outstrip. Garswood is a son of Dutch Art who, so far, is the sire that has achieved the best result for Starlight with Cognitive Ease/Digital Pioneer. At 16.2 hands high he is also a good physical fit for Starlight who is on the smaller side.
Starlight has a number of siblings who have won in the USA including 8 year old mare Flash A Smile who won her 10th race in 2016 and 6 year old gelding Flashin TheFlowers who won his first race, a handicap in Indiana worth over $20k to the winner, in 2016 as well. There are three other half sisters who have all won; High Alpine (now a broodmare), Napolean House and Springtime Anna and this family could see a big increase in activity over the next few years if all these successful race mares become broodmares.
"Stardust" also followed her dam to become a broodmare and was covered by Dick Turpin. She foaled a bay filly, which is her first foal, during 2016. Whilst not on paper the greatest cover based on Dick Turpin's first season sire results, Stardust is an attractive sturdy looking mare and could well transmit this speedy family's genes.
Garswood x Highland Starlight filly in March 2018 at Manor House Farm Stud Stardust was sold in foal to Garswood in February 2017 (foaled a filly named A Little Faith) and we wish her new owners all the best with her and we shall be keeping an eye out for her future runners.
We also liked Starlight as her sire, Dixieland Band, is a son of Northern Dancer and is doing quite well as a broodmare sire having 10 winners from 20 runners for a 50% strike rate in the UK in 2015 which is very good considering his strength is in the USA. In 2016 he had six winners from thirteen runners for a rate of 46% including Housesofparliament who won the Group 3 Bahrain Stakes in July and then ran third in the Group 1 St Leger Stakes and was rated 113.
This family is mainly a North American one and there are a number of runners in both the USA and Canada, although it has to be said, not a great deal of black type on the page. However, two of Fran's Flash's half brothers are sires (Eastern Daydream and Buster's Daydream), another two (geldings Dream Place and Alpine Express) achieved black type and her own first foal Lucky Roger (2004 horse by Grand Slam) became a sire so there is no shortage of class in the near family.
It will be interesting to see if this mainly US dirt family pedigree comes up with the goods. Time will tell.