High Hopes for Blueblood

1 May 2011

Star Continues To Shine

Powerful three-year-old Aldebaran Star has made an encouraging start to his career and the strapping chestnut added another notch to his belt at Woodville. He was comfortably downed his Rating 70 sprint rivals to take his record to two wins and five placings from eight appearances.

He is trained at Awapuni by Trina Marshall whose partner Jonathon Riddell not only rode Aldebaran Star but also purchased him at the 2009 Festival Sale at Karaka after the gelding had originally been sold through WS’s weanling draft the previous year for $14,000. A half-brother to the stakes winner Tootsie (Pins), he is out of the O’Reilly mare Hyades who is a half-sister to the Listed winner La Rose Noir and the Centaine mare is in turn the dam of Espurante (Listed AJC Bell Handicap).

The Corner with Garry Chittick

Well, it was finally our turn. Mary and I shared in the joy of winning a race; we were there, of course. We could have settled in, in front of the TV – not driven the 50 minutes each way, but the emotions are entirely different.

14 September 2025

Smart Love too smart this start

Smart Love (Savabeel ex Relentless Desire) made a winning return at Te Rapa on 14 September, storming home by 3.3 lengths. Racing in Garry Chittick’s colours, the four-year-old mare impressed for Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott after two solid trials.