 |
|
| Sumita Pawar |
 |
On a chilly June evening in 2010, Troy Corstens watched from his home in Melbourne, exhausted but enthusiastic, as Starspangledbanner triumphed at Royal Ascot. Corstens had recognized the horse at the yearling sales and his father Leon had trained it before it was purchased by the worldwide breeding enterprise Coolmore.
On the last day of the Royal Ascot meeting, Leon traveled to witness the superstar sprinter's salute in the event known as the Golden Jubilee Stakes.
In 2010, Starspangledbanner won at Royal Ascot, and Troy Corstens, who had recognized the horse at the yearling sales, watched from home. The horse had been trained by Leon Corstens before being purchased by Coolmore and transferred to Aidan O'Brien.
Troy Corstens' Royal Ascot Promise
Leon traveled to witness the victory in the Golden Jubilee Stakes. Troy vowed to be present if he had a horse good enough to return to Royal Ascot. He has kept his promise and is preparing for an exciting moment in his racing career.
The Astrologist, a horse that Troy co-trains with his father, will be participating in the race that was won by Starspangledbanner 13 years ago.
"I can't wait," Corstens told Racenet.
"I am really looking forward to the race."
"He (The Astrologist) has been great for us, it's been an amazing ride. Whatever he does, he has already earned over half a million dollars on this trip (abroad). He had done an amazing job.
"He has been an absolute model of consistency.
"I've always loved watching Ascot since I was a kid. What a great tradition it is, and what an honour to have a horse racing at such a prestigious carnival."
After The Astrologist traveled to Western Australia and performed well at a different Ascot last summer, the Corstens father-son duo and major part-owner Bennett Racing devised a plan to take the horse overseas.
"Nathan (Bennett) and I started talking about taking him to Dubai and it fitted in really well with the Newmarket (Handicap at Flemington in March)," Corstens said.
"We spoke briefly about Royal Ascot, but that was pie in the stuff at first. We were like, ‘Let's concentrate on the autumn here (in Australia) and then see if we can get an invite to Dubai'.
"Then sure enough we got the invite."
The Astrologist: From Australia To Dubai To Royal Ascot
After finishing second by just a head in the Al Quoz Sprint Gr.1 at Meydan in Dubai, The Astrologist, a six-year-old son of Zoustar, performed remarkably well.
This prompted assistant trainer Dom Sutton to oversee the horse's preparation in the UK, putting Royal Ascot back on the agenda.
The Astrologist secured a seventh place at York in May and second place at Haydock earlier this month, with Ryan Moore as the jockey on both occasions. Corstens is pleased with the horse's progress.
"It's very hard training from the other side of the world, but we've got Dom (Sutton) over there," he said.
"He is English, so he knows the place back to front and he knows the horse. "He has done a wonderful job.
"I would say that we will meet a few of those horses out of the York race. They beat him fair and square that day, but he was terrific at Haydock. The 1400m (from there) will hold him in good stead going back to the 1200m (at Royal Ascot)."
After Starspangledbanner won the Caulfield Guineas in 2009, Troy Corstens celebrated with his dad Leon. As for the upcoming race, which will take place at around 1:20 am on Sunday, Corstens is confident that his horse will be competitive and have good odds.
"We want to win, of course, we do," he said.
"His job is not done yet.
"Am I confident? Well, it is hard to be confident in such a good race. Am I confident he will run well? Yeah, I am. He always does."