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Victorian-based sire Starspangledbanner has 16 mares in foal to northern-hemisphere time in response to the demand for his progeny in Europe.

Starpangledbanner, standing at Rosemont Stud, was booked to shuttle to Coolmore Stud in Ireland for the 2015 season but a bout of colic prevented him from making the trip.

His stock are hot property in Europe after his first crop runners included noted winners The Wow Signal (G1 Prix Morny), Anthem Alexander (G2 Queen Mary Stakes) and Home Of The Brave (G3 Minstrel Stakes).

To meet the demand Rosemont Stud put a number of mares to him to northern hemisphere time with pleasing results for the fertility-challenged but highly successful sire.

“He covered 32 mares and ended up with 16 in foal,” reported Rosemont Stud’s Anthony Mithen.

“He has the stakes-winning Tapit mare Noisy Feet in foal as well as Marcia Proba, a Falbrav half-sister to glamour Australian racemare Sweet Idea.

“Both will make their way up to Europe to be sold at either Tattersalls or Arqana later in the year, along with a couple of other northern-hemisphere in-foal mares.”

With his oldest southern-hemisphere progeny now rising three, Starspangledbanner has had 5 Australian 2YO winners from 14 runners led by G3 winner Of The Brave.

The popularity of Starspangledbanner is not surprising as he has been Europe’s most successful two crop sire on strike rate (10 or more runners) this year.

A lot like his sire Choisir, Starspangledbanner is now resident on a fee of $44,000 at Anthony Mithen’s Rosemount Stud at Gnarwarre, Victoria.

His first Australian crop (less than 30 potential runners) have been 2YOs in 2014-15 and he is one of the leading half dozen first crops sires, providing five winners from 14 starters.

The best of them is Of The Brave winner of two stakes races at Caulfield.

Others include Surfin’ Safari, winner of four of six starts including a Rosehill win, and Mr Individual, a winner at Bendigo at his only start.

Out of Gold Anthem, a mare by Made Of Gold (Green Forest) from National Song (Vain), Starspangledbanner raced 23 times for 12 starts in Australia and the others in the UK and Ireland for seven wins and five minor placings.

Among his Australian efforts, all in Melbourne, were four wins headed by the G1 Caulfield Guineas and G1 Oakleigh Plate and a third in the G1 Newmarket at Flemington.

Sold to a Coolmore syndicate and sent to Ireland, he showed he was one of the world’s best sprinters of his time with G1 wins in the Royal Ascot Golden Jubilee and Newmarket July Cup and a second in the G1 York Nunthorpe Stakes.

Starspangledbanner was rewarded for his career efforts as Champion Australian Sprinter 2009-10, Champion European Sprinter 2010 and Timeform’s highest rated sprinter in 2010.

His sire Choisir, a son of Danehill Dancer and Great Selection, a daughter of Lunchtime and the Biscay mare Pensive Mood, also proved in both hemispheres one of the most brilliant horses of his time.

Like Starspangledbanner he raced 23 times for seven wins, five in Australia and two in England and was recognised as Australasian Champion 2YO Colt 2001-02 and Champion Older Male Sprinter in the UK in 2003.

He ran three times in England for wins in the King’s Stand Stakes and Golden Jubilee at Royal Ascot and a second in the July Cup at Newmarket.