Global Glamour’s Bold Display To Capture The Flight Stakes
Leading from the start, Global Glamour kicked well clear in the home straight to hold off the late challenge of Yankee Rose to win by a half-length with Sezanne (More Than Ready) two lengths further back in third place. Race time was 1:34.73 with the last 600 metres covered in 34.90.
Raced by an international group of 40 female owners from seven countries, Global Glamour was bred in Victoria by Lauriston Thoroughbred Farm and was astutely bought by bloodstock agent James Bester for $65,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast January Yearling Sale.
In winning the Flight Stakes, Global Glamour credited her Widden Stud sire Star Witness (Starcraft) with his first Group One winner and fifth stakes winner after Star Turn, The Barrister, Well Sprung and Pearl Star. The sire’s oldest progeny are four-year-olds and winners are now starting to flow.
A powerful, late finishing burst brought victory for Star Witness in the 2010 Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) and although he won only one of his six starts at three years in Australia the following season his success came in a race that really counted, the Coolmore Stud Stakes (registered as Ascot Vale Stakes) (Gr 1, 1200m).
Star Witness’s form as a three-year-old earned him the title of champion colt of his age in Australia, another highlight performance being his second to unbeaten champion Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) in the Patinack Classic (registered as VRC Classic) (Gr 1, 1200m).
Given his chance to perform on the international stage, Star Witness showed he was not far short of Europe’s best sprinters at Royal Ascot, finishing second in the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) and third in the Golden Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) before returning home to begin his stud career.
Coming from a strong female line and carrying a magical dash of Danehill (Danzig) blood, Star Witness has the right credentials to build on the early stud success he has already achieved.
Global Glamour is the fourth foal and first winner for her dam Spectacula (Testa Rossa), a winner at Moonee Valley. Spectacula has a 2015 colt by Reset (Zabeel) and last season was served by Street Boss (Street Cry).
To find some earlier black type in the family you need to go back to the fourth generation where you encounter former good Sydney sprinter Sam Sung A Song (Timber Country) whose seven wins included two stakes races, the Liverpool City Cup (Gr 3, 1200m) and City Tattersalls Lightning Handicap (Listed, 1000m).
Sam Sung A Song was the best of eight winners left by Global Glamour’s fourth dam Centollua (Century) whose mother Apollua won the Flight Stakes in 1976 before the Group system was introduced. Apollua also won the Reginald Allen Handicap (Listed, 1200m) and set a course record at Canterbury Park.
Apollua’s sire King Apollo (Star Kingdom) was a typically speedy son of his famous sire, winning five races in Sydney and another at Newcastle from four and a half furlongs to a mile. He had a measure of class, placing third in the 1971 AJC Doncaster Handicap (now Gr 1, 1600m) behind two stars in Rajah Sahib (Pakistan II) and Tauto (Good Brandy).
From a family with its origins in the renowned Kia-Ora Stud then owned by the Miller family, Apollua was out of the quality performer Tumberlua (Bluescope) among whose wins were the 1971 Villiers Handicap (Gr 3, 1m) and the Keith Mackay Handicap (Listed, 7f).
Tumberlua’s dam Illawong (Delville Wood), by one of the champion sires of his era, proved well suited to matings with stakes winning American sprinter Bluescope (Helioscope) as these produced three of the stallion’s nine stakes winners in Australia.
The other two major winners to come from this match were I’m Scarlet and Big Scope (VRC Flemington Stakes (Listed, 6f)). I’m Scarlet, later to sire several stakes winners in Western Australia, was as a racehorse the best of the trio with four feature wins, including in the STC Canterbury Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m), Theo Marks Handicap (Gr 2, 1400m) and Expressway Stakes (Gr 2, 1100m). He also ran second in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) and Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m).
Global Glamour is to back up quickly in this Saturday’s Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) in Melbourne, another stern test for this improving filly.