Chrysaor set to shine in Millions as Martin searches for next star

“Give me a few minutes, I’ve got to be here for the next lot,” Star Thoroughbreds principal Denise Martin declared over the boom of the auctioneer and hurly-burly of bidding at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

Not only is Martin a participator at the yearling sales but Star Thoroughbreds has the Chris Waller-trained Chrysaor as a major contender in the $3 million Magic Millions Guineas at Aquis Park on Saturday.

Chrysaor carries the purple and white stars silks of Star Thoroughbreds to victory in the Callander-Presnell at Randwick.Credit: Getty

Martin paid $115,000 for Chrysaor at the 2022 Magic Millions yearling sale. The Better Than Ready colt has earned $916,800 to date, much of which coming from the esteemed $1 million Callander-Presnell at Royal Randwick in which the addition of a Norton bit to the gelding proved beneficial. (Beware the gear on a Waller chance at Rosehill today doesn’t have the same effect.)

Some ratings services have many chances in the Magic Million Guineas but the best hopes are Chrysaor (James McDonald) and Toowoomba’s Cifrado, which beat him fair and square at Eagle Farm. Chrysaor will be fitter and will need to be. Come on J-Mac, show us how good you are in what is a melee, cynics stress, of too many horses racing for too much money before onlookers packed in under the most uncomfortable circumstances.

Fortunately, Martin’s ability to blend the new with the old is evident with Chrysaor. Yes, the Magic Millions is a playground for the super wealthy, but the Chrysaor owners I met after the Randwick triumph were more enthusiasts from far and wide.

Denise MartinCredit: Getty

Martin rattles off reasons why she liked Chrysaor as a yearling going back to the Hong Kong champion Silent Witness. Star Thoroughbreds are chosen through a process that has stood the test of time.

“I like to spend between the $120,000 to $250,000,” she said. Over the 30 years she has had many, many winners and thousands of Star Thoroughbreds patrons.

The buying process is influenced by her early experience at Tulloch Lodge, where the master, Tommy Smith, expounded turf wisdom.

“Tom always said look at the animal, and then the [catalogue] page to tell you what you should pay,” Martin explained.

Martin formed Star Thoroughbreds in 1994, syndicating horses to be trained by Gai Waterhouse. In 2014, she saddled up with the Waller stable.

Her first topliner was Danglissa, a group 1-winning mare for Waterhouse in the early 2000s, but Sebring, which was successful in the 2008 Golden Slipper, holds pride of place.

“It was a heavy track and difficult to view the race but Gai was standing near me and said ‘you’ve won the Golden Slipper’,” Martin recalled. “I marvelled, here was a school teacher from Tasmania having such a wonderful experience.”

And did she get the yearling she chased last Thursday? “Yes, he’s by Zoustar,” she replied. How much? “Tommy Smith always said it was just the price of a round of champagne.”

Back in the day, Smith promoted Great Western bubbly; the Zoustar would be more in the Krug range.

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