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Vinery-raced filly Sonnet Star wins Wellington Boot on Sunday

Having finished a good second on debut at Randwick on March 10, Sonnet Star (2 f ex Seven Sonnets by Poet’s Voice) went one better and broke her maiden in the Wellington Boot (1100m) at Wellington on Sunday and in doing so became the fifth winner for her Vinery Stud-based first season sire Star Turn (Star Witness). 

Raced by Vinery Stud and trained by Damien Lane, Sonnet Star settled in behind the leaders and then came between runners in the straight. She quickened well to pull away to score by a length from In The Blink (Pierro), who ran on well in the straight to finish, while Mabel (Dream Ahead) was third. Favourite Bourbon Flyer (Flying Artie) had every opportunity and finished fourth. 

Sonnet Star was passed in for $30,000 at last year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. She is the first foal out of her winning dam Seven Sonnets (Poet’s Voice), who is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Happy Galaxy (Nadeem) being out of Seven Stars (King’s Best). Her third dam is Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) winner Porto Roca (Barathea) who in turn produced Dubai World Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Monterosso (Dubawi) as well as the dam of William Reid Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Silent Sedition (War Chant). 

Seven Sonnets was bought for $65,000 by Sun Bloodstock at the 2019 Inglis Sydney Broodmare Sale. She has a yearling filly by Star Turn and a weanling filly by Thronum (Snitzel) and she was covered again by him last November. 

Star Turn’s first crop includes the stakes placed pair Pegasi and Astrologer and he now sits sixth in the Australian leading first season sires table by earnings and fourth in the table by winners. That table is headed by Capitalist (Written Tycoon) while Star Turn is one of four first season sires to have now sired five winners from their first crops in Australia; Flying Artie (Artie Schiller), Frosted (Tapit) and Sooboog (Snitzel) the others.