Starspangled Success in Hong Kong

The 2022/2023 Hong Kong racing season has concluded and the most successful active stallion was Australian bred Starspangledbanner, who sired 10 winners from 17 runners including two stakes-winners with progeny earnings topping HK$66million.

Leading the Hong Kong charge for Starspangledbanner were his Irish bred son California Spangle (5g Starspangledbanner x Pearlitas Passion, by High Chaparral), who won the Group I Hong Kong International Mile (1600m) last December beating HK Horse of the Year Golden Sixty, and dual Group III winning Aussie bred gelding Beauty Eternal (4g Starspangledbanner x Ithacan Queen, by Savabeel), who was awarded the Most Improved Horse of the season.

The John Size trained Beauty Eternal took his overall record to seven wins from 10 starts finishing the season with back to back Group III wins in the Premier Cup (1400m) and Lion Rock Trophy (1600m) and he was also third in this year’s BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m).

With seven wins this season, Beauty Eternal has ventured into the upper reaches of sustained success in a Hong Kong season. Only Beauty Generation and Lucky Sweynesse have won more in a single season with eight after Lucky Sweynesse – the world’s top-rated sprinter – equalled the record this season.

A proven Group I sire success in both hemispheres, Starspangledbanner has sired 32 stakes-winners in eight different countries highlighted by six Group I winners at distances from 1200 to 2100m.

Starspangledbanner has a very promising crop of rising three year-olds in Australia to keep his name in lights that already includes stakes-winner Treasurway and metro winners Stellar Olympus and Cholima.

He returns to Australia this spring at a fee of $33,000.