Galileo grazing

US Grade Three Winner for Galileo

Promising mare Starstruck (4m Galileo x Agnetha, by Big Shuffle) scored her first Black Type success when capturing the Grade III Matchmaker Stakes at Monmouth on Sunday.

Purchased from Ireland earlier this year out of the stable of Dermot Weld, who also bred her, Starstruck confirmed her potential in her first attempt at a Graded race.

Sporting blinkers for the first time, she accelerated strongly down the running to take the 1 and 1/18th mile contest by a length and a quarter beating Naples Bay (5m Giant’s Causeway x Cappucino Bay, by Bailjumper) and Minakshi (5m Footstepsinthesand x Maria De La Luz, by Machiavellian) to give Coolmore sires the trifecta.

“She’s a really nice filly that we acquired back in the spring,” said winning trainer Larry Jones

“She’s finally putting it all together both physically and mentally, and I’m looking forward to finding some other stakes for her moving forward. I think getting back to a mile and an eighth made a big difference today, and the addition of blinkers helped her relax outside horses and finish well.”

Starstruck has won three of 11 starts and runs for Calumet Farm, who will have a lovely broodmare to go on with when her racing days are done.

She is the best of five winners from Grade III winner Agnetha and is the 137th stakes-winner worldwide for champion sire Galileo.