There is a very long list of horses whose natural ability indicated something special, but whose final race results at the end of the day fall short of expectation for a myriad of reasons.
Widden Stud's new recruit Stratum Star is not one of them. He is one stallion
going to stud this spring that had no chinks in the armour and delivered his very best over four seasons of racing.A $165,000 Magic Millions yearling purchase for renowned judge Rick Hore-Lacy from the Widden Stud draft, Stratum Star was an appealing youngster that perfectly fit the selective market at the Gold Coast.
Prepared by Darren Weir, Stratum Star has been tough, consistent and competitive at the highest level throughout his career earning $2.4 million with highlight Group I victories in the MRC Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m) and WATC Kingston Town Classic (1800m), not to mention Group I placings in the VRC Australian Guineas, MRC Futurity Stakes, Memsie Stakes, Toorak Handicap
Good enough to run in the Group I MRC Blue Diamond Stakes at two, Stratum Star blossomed at three to become a multiple stakes-winner before adding those memorable Group I wins at four and five.
Temperament and trainability were the keys to his success, matched with Group I
ability."He is simply perfect," said Darren Weir of his stable favourite on retirement.
"The courage, the speed, the attitude and the longevity. He'll make a terrific sire. I can't send enough mares to him."
Stratum Star is without question the best colt sired by Golden Slipper winner Stratum, who stood with great success at Widden until his premature death last year.
One of the first sons of champion sire Redoute's Choice to go to stud, Stratum was the Champion First Season Sire and Champion Sire of Two Year Olds in 2010 when his first crop daughter Crystal Lily won the Golden Slipper.
Stakes-winners continued to flow for Stratum headed by his four time Group I winner and $2.6 million earner Streama, another tough and versatile performer, whose talent stretched all the way from 1200 metres to the classic journey of 2400 metres in the Group I ATC Australian Oaks.
This season Stratum is still making his presence felt with progeny earnings of $7million and seven stakes-winners headed by Group I winners Stratum Star and Takedown.
Given the success of his sire, it was an easy decision for Widden Stud to
welcome Stratum Star to the roster."Success breeds success, so as the old saying goes it makes sense to continue mining for oil where you have found it before," said Antony Thompson.
"Having bred and sold Stratum Star, there is nothing we don't know about this horse and he's the type of thoroughbred we all aspire to breed and would love to own.
"Fast and precocious, but at the same time tough and versatile enough to compete with the best over a variety of distances."
For many broodmare owners, the female family of a sire is arguably more important than anything else and in that area, Stratum Star is from the silk department.
He is from a daughter of champion NZ sire Pins, from a prolific Black Type female family tracing back to champion mare Emancipation, another great example of a genuinely top class thoroughbred capable of competing at the highest level over multiple seasons.
Stratum Star will stand at a fee of $11,000 inc GST.
