RACING £30,000 OFFER FOR STAR BELLE REFUSED

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31277, 25 January 1967, Page 4

RACING £30,000 OFFER FOR STAR BELLE REFUSED

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON.

The champion three-year-old, Star Belle, is unlikely to be sold at any price, and certainly not immediately, even though many would be prepared to pay well into five figures for her.

Mr Sarten, a retired farmer of Auckland, received an offer of £30,000 for Star Belle a few hours after she brilliantly won the Wellington Derby on Monday.

Mr Sarten has raced some very good horses, including the top sprinter, Supreme Court, but he has never had one as good as Star Belle. The next start for Star Belle will be at Trentham on Saturday either in the weight-for-age Trentham Stakes, one mile and a half, or the rich George Adams Mile. She is an acceptor for both races. One consideration that could help to shape her programme is that her regular rider, R. J. Skelton, is to ride Palisade in the Tretham Stakes. The Australians make comparisons with Storm Queen when asked for their impres-

Cummings, who has again been one of the biggest spenders at the Trentham yearling sales, gave excellent reports of his New Zealandbred Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner, Galilee. Due to race at the V.R.C. autumn carnival in March,

sions of Star Belle. One of the most interesting comments comes from the Adelaide trainer, J. B. Cummings, who prepares Storm Queen. “She’s a champion,” said Cummings yesterday, when talking about Star Belle and her victory in the Wellington Derby. “Even as a good brood mare, Star Belle is worth a fortune, but a comparison with Storm Queen is difficult. “Storm Queen has already won 98,000 dollars, yet I have not had to race her beyond a mile, the distance she is bred to run. You could put it this way—Storm Queen is a champion sprinter and Star Belle a champion stayer.”

Galilee moved along very satisfactorily in a barrier trial recently, with Storm Queen and another stablemate, Light Fingers. All three horses, according to Cummings, did extremely well, while away from racing, Galilee is due to race in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, weight-for-age, a mile and a half, and the Queen’s plate, weight-for-age, a mile and a quarter, at Flemington. Light Fingers will resume racing in the C. F. Orr Stakes at San--1 down soon.