STAR CAN SHINE
HALL of Fame inductee Bill Ryan has achieved a lot during his tenure as a thoroughbred trainer in Tasmania, but he has set a goal for his brilliant mare Still A Star that could be his last tilt at winning a feature race interstate.
Ryan is hoping the state’s top three-year-old from last season Still A Star can make it into the $5 million All-Star Mile at Moonee Valley in March, the same race champion Tasmanian mare Mystic Journey won two years ago.
Due to a respiratory infection, Still A Star hasn’t raced since she won the Tasmanian Oaks almost a year ago, but the now four-year-old has shrugged off the ailment and is preparing for her first-up assignment in the Group 3 Bow Mistress Stakes (1200m) at Elwick on Hobart Cup day.
“The Bow Mistress has been the mare’s target for some time, and I couldn’t be happier with her progress,” Ryan said.
“I’ve given her two trials and she was very impressive winning her latest trial and I know she is feeling good because of the way she is acting at home at the stables.”
Still A Star and stablemate Red Letter Lady had an exhibition gallop in Launceston last night and Ryan could not have been happier.
“She ticked all the boxes during the exhibition gallop and now I just need to keep her ticking over until the Bow Mistress and that’s a race she might have to win to earn her place in the All-Star Mile.”
The All-Star Mile is the world’s richest race over 1600m and 10 places in the field of 16 will be based on popularity, the remainder will be made up of wildcard entries and Mystic Journey could be offered one of those wildcards as a former winner.
Of the 81 horses nominated for the race, 10 will be determined by how many votes they attract in a national promotion administered by Racing Victoria.
Voting opened last Friday and Still A Star was in seventh place on Tuesday with almost 1900 votes, but history says she will probably need closer to 5000 votes to sneak into the top 10 when voting closes on February 14.
Frontrunners Arcadia Queen and Bohemoth already have almost 5000 and 4600 votes respectively.
Ryan, 73, has been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a lung disease that is considered incurable and he has been told he is too old to have a lung transplant.
“It is what it is, so I’m treating each day as if it is my last,” Ryan said. “I love what I do for a living and I’ll be doing it as long as I can stand on my feet.
“If we can get Still A Star to the All-Star Mile it will be something of a dream come true for me and it would be one hell of a swan song if she got in and won the race.”
Doctors haven’t given Ryan a time frame on how long he has before the illness renders him bedridden, but he says he and wife Mary will keep on getting up and tending to the team at their Pateena Road stables in Longford as long as Bill draws breath. To vote for Still A Star to get into the All-Star Mile, log onto www.allstarmile.com.au and follow the prompts.