I Am A Star (NZ) Delivers Again in Sunline Stakes

Six weeks out from the 2017 National Weanling, Broodmare & Mixed Bloodstock Sale at Karaka, one of the Sale’s star graduates delivered another supreme performance to win the A$200,000 Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on Friday night.

I Am A Star (NZ) (I Am Invincible) worked hard from her wide draw to take an early lead and dominated the race from there, bringing up the fifth black-type win in her 13-start career. She outclassed her opposition by three and a quarter lengths in a powerful front-running performance reminiscent of the champion Kiwi mare Sunline, in whose honour the Moonee Valley race was named.

“Once she was left alone, I thought it was going to take a fair horse to run her down,” I Am A Star’s trainer Shane Nichols said.

“She put a decisive margin on a really good group of mares. It was an outstanding performance by a very, very, very good filly.”

I Am A Star has now won six races and in excess of A$925,000 in stakes, which is more than 77 times her $12,000 purchase price.

The Sunline Stakes win follows earlier black-type victories in the A$120,000 Group 3 Quayclean National Stakes (1200m), the A$150,000 Group 3 Winslow Group Quezette Stakes (1100m), the A$500,000 Group 1 Myer Classic (1600m) and the A$200,000 Group 2 Kewney Stakes (1400m). She has also finished second in the A$500,000 Group 1 Schweppes Thousand Guineas (1600m).

I Am A Star was bred by Eales Racing Pty Ltd and was offered by Rich Hill Stud at the weanling sale, where she was purchased by Llanhennock Trust.