world star

We are absolutely delighted to have secured WORLD STAR from the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, a horse we know extremely well and one we believe could prove to be a very shrewd purchase.

First things first, this horse is absolutely enormous! Standing a massive 17 hands as a two-year-old, he already looks every inch a fully developed three-year-old. He is a magnificent physical specimen with a huge frame, and we are convinced there is an awful lot more to come from him as he strengthens and matures.

World Star was firmly on our radar earlier this year at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale, where we were extremely keen to purchase him. Despite his extraordinary size, he recorded the 12th fastest breeze of the entire sale, demonstrating that this big horse possesses a serious amount of natural speed. He subsequently sold for 135,000gns, which tells you just how highly regarded he was at the time.

He has since been trained by Ollie Sangster, who has deliberately taken a patient approach with him. The plan was always to campaign him with three-year-old handicaps in mind, rather than push such a big, backward horse too hard at two. His owner has now decided to reinvest in yearlings, presenting us with an opportunity to purchase a horse we already knew plenty about.

Having spoken to Ollie, we are extremely encouraged by his assessment. He believes that following a gelding operation and a short break, we could have a very well-handicapped horse on our hands heading into 2027. Given his physical size, natural ability and the limited amount of racing he has done, we feel there is considerable untapped potential.

His pedigree is another major attraction. He is by STARMAN, the outstanding July Cup-winning sprinter who has made a phenomenal start to his stallion career. His first crop produced five black-type winners, including Group 1 Prix Morny winner Venetian Sun and Group 2 Prix Robert Papin winner Green Sense. Starman has rapidly established himself as one of the most exciting young stallions in Europe.

World Star is also a half-brother to LIKEDBYMIKE, a Listed-winning sprinter rated as high as 96, giving us further confidence that the speed demonstrated at the breeze-ups can translate into a very capable racehorse.

He now joins David Easterby in North Yorkshire, who trains alongside his father, the legendary Mick Easterby. Few yards have a greater tradition of horsemanship, patience and getting the very best out of horses as they mature. We feel David's approach will be absolutely ideal for a horse of World Star's size and profile, particularly with a long-term handicap campaign in mind.

We are buying the horse for what he can achieve at three, not what he has shown at two. A 135,000gns breeze-up purchase, a top-12 breeze time, a magnificent 17-hand frame and a pedigree packed with speed — there is an awful lot to like.

With some time, patience and the right handling, we believe World Star could develop into a very exciting handicapper for Nick Bradley Racing in 2027.