Exciting Starman homebred for David Ward stars at Nottingham

Starman’s fast start continued in style at Nottingham on Thursday thanks to a filly appropriately owned and bred by David Ward and trained by Ed Walker.

Fittingly named The Prettiest Star, the homebred scored emphatically on debut by four-and-a-half lengths.

"She was very cool and calm and pretty professional--she did the job nicely," David Ward, who was watching his first runner by the sire he bred and campaigned to win a July Cup, told The TDN. "It's one thing to breed and race a horse, but it's another to breed one by a stallion you bred and I'm absolutely delighted.

"This was a nice opportunity and it worked out. Starman has everything and I'm very proud. Their temperament is excellent and we have another eight or nine of his to run."

She is the second foal out of the winning Kingman mare Ediyva, who is from the famous Aga Khan family of Estimate and Enzeli.

The Prettiest Star joins an impressive group of winners for Starman, the year’s dominant first crop sire. The unbeaten Venetian Sun boasts wins in the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge and Group 3 Albany Stakes. Tally-Ho homebred Lady Iman was also the recent impressive winner of the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, Green Sense defeated colts in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin while North Coast romped in the Group 3 Tyros Stakes.