Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Ten-year-old pacer Star Armbro, a somewhat temperamental and boisterous pacer in his early days, has settled down with age and is now far less impetuous and is one of gifted driver Maddison Brown’s favourites.
He continues to race with abundant enthusiasm, and after driving him to victory in the 1730m APG Perth Yearling Sale Pace at Gloucester Park on Friday night the 27-year-old Brown admitted that she has a soft spot for the gelding.
“Star Armbro was my last winner before I went to do my jockey apprenticeship (when he led from the No. 1 barrier and beat Lord Willoughby over 2130m at Gloucester Park on May 19, 2017),” she said.
“That was my 101st winner, and he was my first winner when I came back to driving about two years later (when he started from the No. 1 barrier and led and beat Kohli over 1730m at Gloucester Park on June 25, 2019).”
Star Armbro was a $5.90 chance from the No. 1 barrier on Friday night when set the pace and defeated the $2.60 favourite Middlepage by a length, rating 1.56.9.
Brown has driven Star Armbro 66 times for eight wins, four seconds, eight thirds and ten fourths. “He was difficult to drive early on (when prepared by her father Colin); he used to snatch a lot and pull quite hard. He can still get fired up and pull but is a lot more tractable.
“I have had two falls off him at Gloucester Park, but the most recent one wasn’t his fault. Early in his career he trampled on Dad and injured him in an escapade in the paddock.”
Star Armbro, who has four white sox, still relishes racing, and he now has a record of 178 starts for 16 wins, 24 placings and $129,794.
He is trained at Jandabup by 28-year-old Ryan Cummins, who races the gelding in partnership with his mother Lindsay and his sister Claire. After winning seven times for Colin Brown, Star Armbro was purchased by Ryan Cummins for a mere $3000 four years ago, and he now has had 113 starts for Cummins for nine wins, 14 placings and $80,735.
Star Armbro is by American sire Armbro Operative and is the second foal out of Kin Of Queens, who raced 18 times for one win (at Kalgoorlie) and two placings for $3784 in prizemoney.
What is not a well-known fact is that Star Armbro is related to former champion pacer Dainty’s Daughter, who set a world record for a mare on a half-mile track when she won the 1969 Meteor Mile at Gloucester Park at a 1.58.8 rate and the following year she won the WA Pacing Cup in a world record time of 4min. 7sec. for a two-mile standing-start event. Dainty Widow, Star Armbro’s great, great, great granddam, was the mother of Dainty’s Daughter.