Our Star Pupil scores top marks in race

It seemed most appropriate that Our Star Pupil won the $100,000 Windsor Park Stud Japan Trophy at Gate Pa on Saturday.
Not only is the 7-year-old trained on the Tauranga course and owned and bred by a group of locals - John Burn, Gary Cookson and Tony Fahy - but his biggest win came in a Group Two race sponsored by Windsor Park Stud.
It was at the Cambridge-based nursery that Our Star Pupil's dam, Stark Vader, died of cancer when in foal to one of the resident sires, King's Chapel.
"Her condition fell away and there was nothing that could be done for her," said trainer Jim Pender.
"It's quite fitting in a way that Our Star Pupil has come out and won with Windsor Park as sponsors. It's a great result for the owners. John Burn was 2IC for the Owens Group, who were long-time sponsors of the race, and it's quite good for him to be on the other side of it.
"I'm happy for Tony Fahy, too, and especially Cookie (Gary Cookson). Cookie does all the work with Our Star Pupil and their other horses when they are out spelling. The owners come in to the stables and help out on the weekends."
Pender paid tribute to his son Kelly, who has been Our Star Pupil's track rider and regular attendant.
"Kelly is 36 now and he has been riding work for over 20 years," said Pender. "He's a good judge. He said he worked brilliantly the other morning and would be hard to beat."
Kelly Pender was also track rider for former stable runner Ginga Dude, who won the race three years ago, and he also was spot on with his judgement of Crown Prince, a winner of the Kiwifruit Cup.
Pender's first win in the event was back in 1992 with Power Chief, ridden by David Peake. He had to then wait 16 years until tasting success again with Ginga Dude, in the hands of Mark Sweeney.
Pender's third Japan Trophy win came last year with Casabella Lane, ridden by Jason Collett, and this year the winning rider on Our Star Pupil was Collett's older sister, Tasha.
"Tasha rode him beautifully," said Pender. "I told her to get going by the 800 metres and she did that."
Our Star Pupil settled back and moved into fourth wide out approaching the home turn. He then unleashed a powerful finish down the outside to win by three and a quarter lengths from Agamemnon, who had been in touch with the pace from the outset and fought doggedly. Irish Opera did well to hold on for third.
Taking on the unbeaten Australian champion sprinter Black Caviar could be a massive task facing the in-form Kiwi galloper Gaston.
Owner and co-trainer Debbie Rogerson revealed the Group I T.J. Smith at the Sydney Easter Carnival was among the options being considered for Gaston following his runaway win in the Morton Estate Sparkling 1200 on Saturday.
Black Caviar made it 11 wins from 11 starts when scoring at Moonee Valley last Friday evening and is being heralded as the best sprinter in Australia for years.
Gaston has now won five of 13 starts and has scored four on end, following on from a Rating 70 win at Paeroa with wins at Te Rapa on March 2 and Ellerslie on March 12. As strong as Gaston was in his hat-trick of wins, he was even more impressive last Saturday, coming from third in the five-horse field to race away to a 13-length victory over The Heckler, who shaded Double Barrel.