Trainer John Sadler is hoping Starry Legend can follow his stablemate Sartorial Splendor by being successful at the Mornington Cup meeting.
Starry Legend runs in the IDS Security Handicap (1000m) on Saturday, the same benchmark 78 grade race that Sartorial Splendor won last year.
Both Starry Legend and Sartorial Splendor, besides being trained by Sadler, have a lot in common.
While Sartorial Splendor is two years older than his stablemate, both were impressive debut winners and were talked of as being destined for successful careers on the track.
Sartorial Splendor has won six of his 20 starts but has been a hard sprinter to catch, over-racing in front and leaving little for the end of his races.
However, the Mornington win last year resulted in Sartorial Splendor then going on to register victories at Flemington and Caulfield, although a late spring, summer campaign did not post any positive results for the sprinter.
Starry Legend was an impressive debut winner as a two-year-old at Flemington before going on to claim the VOBIS Gold Rush at the Bendigo Golden Mile meeting 12 months ago.
After finding the 1200m a shade far in the VOBIS Showdown at his next start, Starry Legend was spelled and returned to win over Saturday’s course and distance last September.
Four following runs resulted in mixed results and the decision was made to geld the now three-year-old.
Sadler said that operation had resulted in a better-behaved sprinter.
“He’s better as a gelding, I don’t know how much, but he’s better,” Sadler said.
“He’s settling a lot better, he was wanting to get his head up and fight the rider before, but now we’ve got him in hand.”
As with Sartorial Splendor last year, Sadler is not looking too far into the future with Starry Legend.
“I just want to get him going again, winning a race and getting his confidence back,” Sadler said.