Starosa and hoop Thornton graduate with honour at Doomben
TALENTED two- year- old Starosa has booked her ticket towards the Group One JJ Atkins as star jockey Stephanie Thornton reached a career milestone at Doomben yesterday.
Starosa ($1.30) made it two wins in a row when she led all the way for an easy win in the
Lexus 2YO (1350m) at Doomben.
The win was put down to a clever change in race-day gear after blinkers seemed to affect the filly in her early racing.
Trainer Tony Gollan removed the blinkers for her run at Doomben last month and she scored a surprise win.
It meant the blinkers stayed off the filly’s race-day gear yesterday and she performed strongly. Gollan admitted in a normal racing year Starosa would tackle the second tier two-year-old races.
“A race like the Phoenix Stakes at 1500m would have been her mission,” Gollan said.
“But with a reduced winter program we might as well have a crack at a Group One in the JJ Atkins (on June 6).
“I think she will run a strong mile so the 1400m of this year’s Atkins is no problem. Starosa was sent to us as a yearling and she has developed into one of the finds of the season.”
Gollan said he would consider another race for Starosa in the next three weeks as a lead-up to the JJ Atkins. Starosa firmed from $51 to $15 for the JJ Atkins after her win.
It gave apprentice Stephanie Thornton back-to-back wins after she took the previous race on Mount Beauty in the 1110m Maiden Handicap.
The two wins for Thornton came after graduating from her apprentice claim to senior jockey. She followed up the early victories with a third on The Odyssey in the ThreeYears-Old Plate (1200m).