Over the past 30 years the distinctive silks have become synonymous with many of the best and most popular gallopers to have graced the city’s racecourses.

High among anyone’s memories of Golden Slippers past must be the joyous scenes after Star Thoroughbreds’ Sebring (More Than Ready {USA}) took the race under Glen Boss in 2008.

The winner the following Saturday of the G1 AJC Inglis Sires’ Produce S. and subsequently sold for $28 million to join Widden’s stallion roster, Sebring was the perfect syndicate horse, giving his share-holders a massive return on their investment and, even more importantly, thrills that money just can’t buy.

Denise Martin was working in the hospitality business in a senior role at The Regent Melbourne Hotel (now The Sofitel) in the early ‘90s when she developed a rapport with Gai Waterhouse, who stayed there on her visits to Victoria. It was still early days in Waterhouse’s training career at that stage, and the pair instantly realised the potential of their shared passion, acumen, flair and charisma. Martin consequently set up Star Thoroughbreds in 1994, syndicating horses to be trained by Waterhouse, and the rest pretty soon became history. Good horses started coming along at a remarkable rate.

Danglissa (Danzero) was Star Thoroughbreds’ first true top-liner, enjoying a winning spree in Sydney’s top fillies’ races in the spring of 1999 by taking the G3 Furious S., G2 Tea Rose S. and G1 Flight S. before heading down to Melbourne to finish second in the G1 Thousand Guineas at Caulfield. The multiple stakes winners Stoway (Geiger Counter {USA}) and Kingsgate (Danzero) came to prominence shortly afterwards and kept the Star flag flying as the old century gave way to the new.

Sebring was the horse who took Star Thoroughbreds to the very top, but he was merely one of several superstars who made 2008 a real annus mirabilis for the operation. While he had cemented Star Thoroughbreds’ reputation for unearthing a top juvenile, later that year two of its older stars reminded us of its ability to produce the type of tough, high-class older horse on whom the game thrives.

Sebring cemented Star Thoroughbreds' reputation for unearthing top juveniles

That year’s G1 Epsom H. at Randwick produced a wonderful result for Star Thoroughbreds as the five-year-old Theseo (Danewin) and the four-year-old Bank Robber (Dash For Cash) filled the quinella. Theseo headed down to Melbourne later in the spring and landed the G1 Mackinnon S. at Flemington before subsequently landing three more weight-for-age G1s in later years. He ended the 2008/’09 season as Australia’s Champion Middle Distance Horse of the Year (and NSW Champion Racehorse of the Year) thus giving Star Thoroughbreds HOTY honours for the second season running following Sebring’s award of Champion Two-Year-Old Colt of Australia for 2007/’08.

Hot on the heels of Sebring came another juvenile money-spinner, Driefontein (Fastnet Rock) who landed the Magic Millions 2-Year-Old Classic in 2012. The popular filly then developed into a proper trooper over the subsequent three seasons, ultimately winning five Group races including the G1 Sportingbet Classic Robert Sangster S. in Adelaide as a four-year-old. She even posted some fine efforts as a five-year-old in the 2014/’15 season including finishing second to Deep Field (Northern Meteor) in the G2 Tab.com.au S. at Flemington on VRC Derby Day.

In January 2014 all new recruits changed to Chris Waller’s burgeoning stable, for which nowadays Star Thoroughbreds is a major racing partner.

One of Chris Waller’s many strengths as a trainer is that he can juggle things with a huge string of horses and massive bank of clients so that every horse and every client has joint-top priority.

Fiesta has been a wonderful filly for Star

Star Thoroughbreds fits perfectly into this well-run operation and has become an integral part of the stable, and ironically it was a Star Thoroughbreds horse who has come closest to derailing the winning run of Waller’s stable star Winx (Street Cry {Ire}).

Foxplay (Foxwedge) was a wonderful filly for Star Thoroughbreds. In the spring of 2016 she emulated the feat of Danglissa seventeen years previously by emerging as the winner of the ATC Princess Series, and she then went on to take both the G2 Phar Lap S. and the G1 Coolmore Legacy S. in the autumn. Arguably her finest hour, though, came the following spring in the G2 Bob Ingham Warwick S. at Randwick when she had the nation holding its breath for a few agonising seconds, only losing the lead in the shadows of the post when Winx’s barn-storming finish allowed her to snatch a thrilling head victory from the jaws of defeat.

The ultra tough Invincibella (I Am Invincible) made history winning three consecutive Magic Millions Fillies and Mares races on the Gold Coast. The mare also recorded a Group 1 win in the Tatt’s Tiara and her CV was further boosted by a number of Stakes wins and placings.

Other recent Stars for Star Thoroughbreds have been G1 Rosehill Guineas winner D’Argento (So You Think {NZ}) now standing at Bowness Stud, G2 Silver Shadow and G3 Widden S. winner Fiesta (I Am Invincible) sold as a broodmare for $1.35 million, G1 Coolmore Classic and multiple Stakes winner Espiona (Extreme Choice), G2 Callander-Presnell winner Chrysaor, G2 Shannon S. winner Noire (Foxwedge), G2 Theo Marks and G3 Carbine S. winner Kiku, G3 Doncaster Prelude H. winner Cellarman (Mossman) and Bondi S. winner Kubrick (Shooting To Win).

[Partly taken from TDN’s “A star-studded record]