Racing: Transtasman twist for successful sire

Jockey Glen Boss celebrates as Starcraft (9) strides to victory in the Stoneybridge Stakes in 2004. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today

Former champion galloper Starcraft - making a sensational start to a stud career - is the centre of an interesting irony today.

A Starcraft filly, owned by a Queenslander, is trying to win the Listed Great Northern Foal Stakes at Ellerslie this afternoon a couple of hours before a son of Starcraft is trying to win Queensland's A$100,000 Phoenix Stakes for his Auckland owners.

We Can Say It Now won a lowly maiden 2-year-old event in wet ground at a Matamata midweeker, but did it in such style as to be all the rage moving up to stakes company at Ellerslie.

And the Stephen McKee-trained Starcheeka was so impressive winning at Hastings a month ago he was set on a path to clash with Queensland's smart juveniles.

The Starcraft sire banner, already flying high, will fly even higher if both youngsters are successful.

Stephen McKee is unsure Starcheeka can do the job today and not because he's concerned about the usually smart Australian juveniles.

McKee says Starcheeka has done so well since his arrival in Queensland he may just lack the sharp edge required to be at peak fitness.

"He let down very quickly over there and has thrived. I'm a little worried he might just have done a touch too well. He'll still be competitive, though."

McKee certainly needs Starcheeka to be competitive and to at least earn stakemoney today to guarantee making the field for the TJ Smith in two weeks.

All but four of the 17 acceptors for today's Doomben race have earned more than the $7820 Starcheeka has accumulated in two starts and there are likely to be additional TJ Smith hopefuls.

"He's also going to need all of the 1350m today to be competitive," says McKee.

"He needed all of the 1400m to win against our 2-year-olds and he's going to be suited by the 1600m of the TJ Smith if he can make the field."

Leith Innes has made the trip to Brisbane for the ride.

We Can Say It Now is highly regarded by the Murray and Bjorn Baker stable and also by owner Paul Makin, who owns Starcraft.

The big filly is favourite despite a question mark over the Ellerslie footing, softened by rain earlier in the week.

She may not have looked comfortable in the footing when she won at Matamata on debut, but she coped.

And coped is an apt description of how most 2-year-olds fare in rain-affected footing.

They generally give their best regardless of conditions and We Can Say It Now looks the type that will try hard.

* Starcheeka might be the sole New Zealand hope among the juveniles, but the A$125,000 Premiers' Cup looks like an Ellerslie or Te Rapa handicap.

Nine of the 16 runners are New Zealand-trained.

In handicap order with their New Zealand TAB prices and Australian prices in brackets: Sir Slick $26 ($23), Gallions Reach $61 ($51), Indikator $8.50 ($8), Tinseltown $8.50 ($8), Court Ruler $21 ($18), Sand Hawk $21 ($26), Solid Billing $12 ($13), She Kin Fly $14 ($17), Castle Heights $21 ($26).

Very little difference in the pricing there, but there is a wide variance in Starcheeka's stablemate Mufhasa, who will once again go around as King Mufhasa in today's A$650,000 Doomben 10,000.

The New Zealand TAB has Mufhasa at $14 and you can get up to $31 in Australia.

Stephen McKee expects a closer effort than when the high-class sprinter finished out of a place in his first start in Brisbane two weeks ago.

"He was four wide the trip over 1200m last start. He did well to finish as close as he did (2.8 lengths).

"This time he's going to come out of gate No 7 and that will allow him to sit in the first three or four without covering ground. I'm expecting him to be somewhere close up."