Tally-Ho bred Venetian Sun shines brightest for Starman in Albany success

Starman's daughter Venetian Sun stamped herself as a leader of her generation on the biggest stage at Royal Ascot on Friday when the impressive winner of the Group 3 Albany Stakes.

Victory for the Tally-Ho homebred placed an exclamation point on an outstanding day for Starman that also featured wide-margin wins for the colts Blue Orbit and North Coast at Goodwood and Down Royal.

Meanwhile, Starman's Flowerhead - a Tally-Ho breezer - ran a brilliant second in Wednesday's Queen Mary Stakes.

Trainer Karl Burke has never hid his regard for Venetian Sun, who races for Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy. Connections, signing under Todd Investments, bought her out of our draft at Book 1 of last year's Tattersalls October Sale.

She was sent off the odds on favourite for her debut at Carlisle last month and she duly obliged, winning the 5f event easily from the subsequent Hilary Needler winner Argentine Tango.

She was well fancied again on Friday as a 7/1 shot against 16 other fillies and was even more impressive, making smooth headway under Clifford Lee up the centre of the track before pulling clear for a length and a half success.

The Mehmas filly Awaken ran a blinder for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing to finish second.

“She’s a beauty of a filly," said Karl Burke. "She was asleep in the prelims, she’s done it the hard way, stuck on the worst draw on paper so I’m just delighted for everybody.

“Her work at home has been pretty special, I certainly haven’t had a two-year-old work the way she has. She’s kicked some proper horses out of the way, so much so that the first time she did it I had to change to another good lead horse just to prove a point and she did the same to him.

“She’s a special filly. I was gutted we got the draw that we had and to be honest, she’s won despite that because it’s not really the way we like to ride her – loads of daylight.

“She’s got a great turn of foot and she can get in amongst them and use it. She’ll stay further, I think six or seven, she’s got a great chance next year of being a Guineas filly but we’ll enjoy today and plan for the future.

“She’s a beautiful looking filly, she was an expensive Book One filly. She wasn’t a precocious early one, which sounds strange as she’s won now but she was never going to be a five-furlong filly, even though she’s won over five.

“The two older horses she’s been working with, Spycatcher and Lethal Levi, they’re good old work horses and proper Group horses – almost Group 1 horses – I haven’t had a two-year-old that would do that to that type of animal before.”

Co-owner Ian McAleavy added: "Karl did say she was the 2yo filly he's had, so we had a lot of confidence in her. So we were confident and happy to back him, and he did a great job with her. I don't think everything went for her - tough draw and she didn't have much cover, so yeah."

Venetian Sun is a half-sister to two winners including last year's smart Mehmas 2yo Sir Yoshi. They are out of the Listed-placed Johara, an Iffraaj relation to Group 1 winners Earthlight and Shadow Of Light.

Venetian Sun continues the excellent start made by Starman, who has already tasted Group 3 success as a stallion thanks to our homebred Lady Iman.

Friday's evening action also featured two other exciting prospects in Blue Orbit, who made all the running to win by three lengths for Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole at Goodwood, and North Coast, who was the near six-length winner of the maiden at Down Royal.

Blue Orbit was bred by Claire Fitzsimmons while North Coast was bred by Ringfort Stud.

"Dave [Ward] and his wife Sue are such good people that I think the horse is looking after them," Roger O'Callaghan told the TDN.