Looking Back 60) Starlight

 
                        Northern Starlight (right!)

Northern Starlight was a wonderful little horse who once again had done okay before ever arriving at Pond House but it is probably fair to say he went on to much bigger and better things for the yard.  He was a 1991 born bay gelding by Northern State and his dam was Ganadora.  He was well known for a big white blaze but fairly diminutive stature – measuring only just over 15.1hh.

He started his career on the flat as a two year old for Pat Murphy. He finished tenth of 24 runners on his debut at Leicester in April 1993 and had twelve runs without troubling the judge that summer.  The best place he achieved was fourth and he did that on four occasions.  He did not do much better in his second season on the level either.  He had a further twelve runs in 1994 and a third placing was the best of his achievements.  He was sold for 1,850 guineas afterwards and joined the stable of Paul Nicholls.

He was second on his first start over hurdles, a seller at Taunton in November 1994.  He went on to have a further five run that seasons and although he never won he finished placed on every occasion apart from once.  He got his first win in a selling hurdle at Taunton in September 1995 with A P McCoy in the saddle, winning very cosily.  He followed up back at the track the following month in a seller with Tom Dascombe riding and was sold for 5,000 guineas at the auction after the race.

Rodney Baker was his new trainer and after finishing second on his first start for him he won a novice handicap hurdle at Taunton in November before finishing fourth at Exeter.  He picked up a little injury this day and was not seen on the racecourse again for over a year and during this time he was moved to Pond House and arrived at the yard in September 1996.

Northern Starlight made his stable debut at Wincanton in February 1997.  He actually won his first five starts for MCP and he might have made it six when falling at the last in the Swinton hurdle when still leading.  His first three victories were all at Wincanton and he then won at Newton Abbot and Exeter.  He bounced back from his last flight fall to win at Uttoxeter after this and his record was six wins from seven starts for the yard that season.

After a summer break he returned the following autumn for a novice chase campaign.  After finishing runner up on debut he went on to record three straight wins.  Firstly at Ludlow, then at Worcester and the hat-trick was completed in the Grade 2 Rising Stars novices chase at Chepstow in November.  A second at Newbury followed before another win at Cheltenham in December.  He was second again at Wincanton after this before disappointing at Kempton on his final run on that season in January 1998.

He returned to action in November with a third place in a handicap chase at Ascot and got the biggest win of his career in the Tripleprint Gold Cup at Cheltenham the following month.  Off a mark of 134 he made virtually all under AP and held on well up the hill when pressed by Simply Dashing to win by ¾ of a length.  He unseated back at the track on his next start in January, finished tenth in the Mildmay of Flete handicap chase at the Festival in March and finished the season off with two second places at Ascot and back at Cheltenham in April.

The following season off much higher ratings he found things more difficult but still ran well in all the top races.  He was fourth in the Murphy’s Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November, fifth when trying to defend his Tripleprint crown in December, third at Cheltenham and fourth at Sandown after this.  He was eighth in the Mildmay of Flete chase this time around but got a deserved victory in a handicap chase at Ascot in April.  Just six days later he headed to Aintree for the John Hughes handicap chase over the Grand National Fences.  During the race he was never far away from the leaders and led before the last and stayed on well to beat King Cherry by 1¼ lengths.  I think this is a great photo of Northern Starlight taking a look at one of the Grand National fences before the race – it really shows how small he was but also proved you don’t have to be the biggest to be effective over the larger obstacles either!

Injury then kept him off the track for exactly a year.  His first start back was in the 2001 Grand National which was won by Red Marauder.  Mr Tom Scudamore rode him but was unseated at Becher’s Brook on the first occasion.  He pulled up in the Scottish National after this and then was down the field at Exeter before more time off meant he was next back on the racecourse in April 2002.  He returned to Aintree for another cracker at the Topham and had just been headed when he unseated AP four from home.

He had two starts in 2003 and his final ever run was at Wincanton in March and he signed off his career with a third placing before retirement beckoned at the age of 12.  He returned home to his owners after a fantastic career that was disrupted by injuries in the latter years.  His highlights were his wins at Cheltenham and Aintree but he was remarkably tough and consistent.  His career record stands at 16 wins from 69 career starts but if you take out his 22 flat starts in which he never won, his record looks even more impressive.  13 of his wins came for Pond House from 34 runs.  From these starts he was placed ten times as well.  Rated 141 at best he won over £172,000 in prize money.   

Watch him win the 1998 Tripleprint Gold Cup at Cheltenham here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76WJzzUlDC4

Watch him win the 2000 John Hughes handicap chase at Aintree here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO5eHeihGxA