THE sprinting scene needed a Star and it might just have found one.
Starman has the name, the talent and the looks – and he proved it by the bucket load in a July Cup to savour.
Ed Walker’s monster did things the hard way at Newmarket under Tom Marquand. Hot and bothered in the parade ring, he found more trouble midrace.
Using his size, he was able to bulldoze his way through the pack, before bursting clear to win by a length-and-a-quarter.
Well-backed Dragon Symbol was a creditable runner-up, with defending champion Oxted in third.
The victory was Walker’s first Group 1 and he has high hopes Starman can continue to stamp his authority on the division.
Starman wins the Darley July Cup Stakes!
#ITVRacing pic.twitter.com/JixfUvJkli
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) July 10, 2021
Walker smiled: “That was great, it’s taken a while to get that big one but better late than never. It’s a great feeling.
“We always believed so much in this horse and I put a lot of pressure on myself and on him because the belief was there and it was great it was vindicated.
“Not many horses go through the grades as quickly as he did. You have to think where is the ceiling?
“He always looked good, but you dare not dream they can go on to be champions. He’s just never let us down.
“Today he was beaten there. He overcame a very tough trip. He wasn’t concentrating at all, at York he was brilliant but today if you’d asked me before the race I would have been very negative.”
Walker is eyeing up a trip to Haydock for the Sprint Cup next. The bookies cut him into the 7-2 favourite for the Group 1 on September 4.
He added: “If he gets his ground we can go for the Sprint Cup. And then there’s the Maurice de Gheest in France we can think about too.”
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to SE. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chase their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/horse-racing/amazing-jockey-64-to-ride-again-33-years-after-last-winner-saying-i-dont-go-with-strange-women-this-is-my-kick
