‘Mission accomplished’: Still A Star delivers trainer’s dying wish by racing into 2021 All-Star Mile

Bill Ryan wants nothing more than to see his beloved mare run in the world’s richest mile race — and in a stunning turn of events, his dream is set to come true.

PETER STAPLES

2 min read

February 19, 2021 - 5:18PM

News Corp Australia Network

All-Star Mile voters give trainer his dying wish

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Veteran racehorse trainer Bill Ryan, who is dying from a chronic lung disease, had a dream of seeing his diminutive mare Still a Star find her way into the richest mile race in the world.

On Thursday, his dying wish was realised when Minnie, as she is affectionately known around Ryan’s stables, was confirmed a definite starter in the All-Star Mile to be run at The Valley on March 13.

Ryan, 73, who is suffering from the incurable lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, was gobsmacked after his four-year-old came from the clouds to secure a berth by public vote in the 1600m race that boasts $5 million in prizemoney.

The All-Star Mile is primarily a popularity-based race that comprises a field of 15, of which

10 are voted in by the public and the remaining five runners are given wildcard entries.

When the voting was removed from public view last Friday night, Still a Star was sitting precariously in 10th place with 4991 votes, with some believing she would be pushing it uphill to retain her spot.

But when voting closed at midnight last Sunday, she had rocketed up the leaderboard to finish with 9954 votes — in fourth place behind three multiple Group 1 winners.

Terminally ill trainer Bill Ryan says he will defy doctors’ orders to watch Still A Star in the All-Star Mile. Picture: Sharon Lee Chapman.

“I’m amazed by the amount of votes this mare received and we want to thank everyone who voted and gave me the chance to live a dream,” Ryan said at his stables in Longford, Tasmania.

“To be honest I never gave her a chance of getting in the race but the closer we got to the finish of voting the more confident I became.”

Ryan says he will defy doctors’ orders to fly and travel to Melbourne to see his mare run on March 13.

“If they think I’m going to miss the biggest day of my racing life then they are kidding themselves,” he said.

Tasmanians rallied for the mare when voting opened four weeks ago, due mainly to the trainer’s daughter Monica Ryan who took two weeks off work to focus on getting Minnie into the big race.

Bill Ryan’s daughter Monica took two weeks off work to lobby the public to vote Still A Star into the All-Star Mile. Picture: Sharon Lee Chapman.

Monica said it was “mission accomplished”.

“Why wouldn’t any daughter do what I did for my mum and dad?” she said.

“They have dedicated their whole life to racing and they deserve everything good that comes their way at this end of their journey.

“And I just had to do whatever I could to help get this wonderful mare into the race.”

Racing Victoria executive general manager Greg Carpenter said Still a Star’s incredible vote grab over the final 46 hours of voting had shocked everyone.

“We expected the likes of Arcadia Queen, Behemoth and Probabeel to prove popular with the voting public, but what we perhaps didn’t anticipate was that the story of Still A Star would gain such traction in Tasmania and other states,” Carpenter said.

Still a Star will line up in a Group 3 race in Tasmania on Wednesday for what will be her final hitout before taking on some of the best milers in the nation in the All-Star Mile.

allstarmile.com.au