Just hours after exiting quarantine at Canterbury, former European Star Of India made an immediate impact on the racetrack with a fighting victory in the $750,000 Rosehill Gold Cup.
Rob Archibald, racing manager for winning trainer Annabel Neasham, said they had hoped he would perform well but weren’t certain what to expect from the horse at his first Australian start.
“We knew he was in good form, he came through the quarantine in really good order,’ Archibald said.
“We were confident he would run well, (but) to win like that was really exciting, so he probably exceeded our expectations.”
Ridden by Brenton Avdulla, Star Of India ($9) had to battle for the victory with Hezashocka ($9.50) stretching him right to the line.
He showed grit and determination to fend off the Victorian by a half-head with the Marco Botti-trained Bois D’Argent ($10) doing his best work late for third, another 1-1/2 lengths away.
Archibald has been with the Neasham stable for four months having spent the previous four years at Coolmore and that link came in handy in relation to the purchase of Star Of India, with Archibald revealing Coolmore’s Tom and MV Magnier tipped them into the four-year-old.
“When I finished up at Coolmore, I ‘said can you find us one?’ MV rang up Annabel a couple of months ago and said, ‘I think this one will suit Australia, this is the one’,” Archibald said.
“So we bought him, BK Racing got on board along with a few other partners and here we are today.”
Avdulla said Star Of India travelled beautifully in the run and despite Neasham’s concerns the horse may have found the 2000m short of his best distance, he was able to grind out the win.
“Once I clicked him into gear he hit the front a long way out, but he kept sustaining his gallop like those Europeans can,” Avdulla said.
Stockman found the line stylishly from near the rear in a perfect pipe-opener for his Melbourne Cup tilt on Tuesday.
“This run will have him spot on for Tuesday,” his trainer Joe Pride said.
“He won’t have any nervous energy and he will be nice and relaxed.”