New Starspangled 2YO Stakes-Winner
The Group III Eyrefield Stakes (1m1f) at Leopardstown in Ireland on Saturday produced a new stakes-winner for Starspangledbanner with the Joseph O’Brien trained Sigh No More (2f Starspangledbanner x Silent Thoughts, by Galileo) scoring a dominant win.
A two time winner back in August, that didn’t quite measure up in subsequent Group races, Sigh No More appreciated a step up in trip for this assignment to charge home from last to win by a length and three-quarters running away.
“I thought Sigh No More got a lovely ride from Mikey [Sheehy] and the race set up very well. She's as tough as nails, she's progressive and she's never run a bad race. I'm delighted to win a big pot with her,” said Joseph O’Brien.
Purchased for €60,000 from the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale Book 1, Sigh No More has won three of seven starts and is the 47th stakes-winner for Starspangledbanner.
She is a half-sister to stakes-winner Neptune Rock and stakes-placed Unreasonable being the best of six winners from Silent Thoughts, an unraced half-sister by Galileo to Group III winner Yellow Rosebud and stakes-winner Seeharn.
Starspangledbanner has had a good year with his Northern Hemisphere bred juveniles producing 20 winners with Sigh No More the second stakes-winner joining Starzintheireyes and three more Group placed two year-olds.
Starspangledbanner is back in Australia at a fee of $44,000 this spring