Stars Of Jiro Shines for Pencarrow


Pencarrow Racing and the Pencarrow bred sire Darci Brahma have combined to produce two smart winners in two days, with the filly Stars Of Jiro completing the double at Ruakaka today in the $7,000 Lion Red 1400 after Esquina scored yesterday with a four-length win at her second outing.

With her young sire enjoying a hot run of success, Stars Of Jiro (Darci Brahma x Filante Etoile, by Soviet Star) become the fourth winner this week for Darci Brahma with Darciwood, High Rolling and Da Best Coup also successful.

Stars Of Jiro came into today’s contest having raced on three occasions for a third on debut on the same track in October last year and a last start fourth at Avondale after not getting all favours in transit.

Today’s race saw jockey Mark Hills take the three-year-old filly to the front where she settled in the gun spot just off the lead. In the straight she took up the running 200 metres from home and held on to record a smart one length victory, the first of her short career.

Bred by Peter and Philip Vela, Stars Of Jiro is from the stakes winning Soviet Star mare Filante Etoile and hails from the family of Valbuena, the Pencarrow bred winner of this season’s Group 2 Avondale Guineas and triple Group 1 winner Star Dancer. Filante Etoile was served by High Chaparral last season.

Ebullient (Stravinsky), the Steven Ramsay & Julia Ritchie trained son of the champion mare Ethereal (Rhythm) ran a good race for second in a Rating 85 race (1200m) at the same meeting, racing on the pace before being run down just strides before the post.