Star Witness
It is very rare for horses to come from far away countries and have a significant impact on the United Kingdom flat racing world but Star Witness is giving it a good go. Star Witness is a four-year-old Australian horse trying to upset the favourites in every race it is entered in.
It seems that Danny O'Brien has great faith in this horse because he would not bother entering any horse at Royal Ascot that did not have a realistic chance of success. The problem is that Star Witness is a bit like a Ronnie O'Sullivan of the flat racing world; majestic on occasions and simply frustrating on others.
Debut of Star Witness
The debut of Star Witness in flat turf racing came on February 20 2010 over six furlongs. The debut of Star Witness showed the racing world that here was an amazing three-year-old with an eagerness to run as fast as possible over a small distance.
The win was impressive at Caulfield because Star Witness was a 9/1 outsider and held off a challenge from the favourite who fell down to third inside the final few furlongs. The debut of Star Witness was followed up with a poor performance one month later but the horse got a bad start in a field of 13 runners and had no space or time to recover.
Statistics of Star Witness
The statistics of Star Witness make equally frustrating viewing. The horse has only won two races and finished second in one from six races. These are not the statistics that you would expect from a second favourite to win the King's Stand Stakes. However, it is the manner of the performance in these good results that has raised heads more than anything else.
One of the worrying trends which is noticeable from the statistics of Star Witness is the unpredictability of this horse. It is almost impossible to predict how the horse is going to run in a certain field of runners, on a certain racecourse and over certain ground.
Positives of Star Witness
One of the main positives of Star Witness that O'Brien can be proud of is the physical condition and apparent fitness of the animal. Star Witness is a horse that has been superbly looked after which means the animal has the best possible chance of success when it comes to each big race.
Speed is one of the biggest positives of Star Witness which is a vital asset in races over small distances. Any advantage that a horse can gain over a short race up to a distance of a mile can go a long way to placing that horse inside the top three or four.
Another of the main positives of Star Witness is that the regular jockey of the horse has not changed too frequently. James Winks and Nicholas Hall have both ridden Star Witness on more than one occasion which will make them more familiar with the now four-year-old than another horse.