Jockey Glen Boss will be given a free hand regarding tactics on Starkiato after the colt drew the outside barrier in Wednesday’s VRC St Leger at Flemington.
Trainer John Sadler is after his third win in the 2800m Listed event having won it with Full At Last in 1988 and Bohemiath in 1998.
“We haven’t had much luck with the draw. I’ll just leave it to Bossy,” Sadler said.”
“We’ve liked him all along but didn’t really picture him as a St Leger horse.
“I thought he’d be about a 2000 metre horse.”
A son of 2004 Australian Derby winner Starcraft, Starkiato has raced nine times and is coming up for his eight run in his current campaign.
The winner of a Kyneton 1450m maiden second-up on January 8 and a 1900m Kilmore Showcase 0-62 three runs later, Starkiato ran second to Kukri over 1800m at Sandown and fifth to subsequent West Australian Derby runner-up Flashy Fella over 2000m at Caulfield.
At his latest appearance he was runner-up to Streets Of Seattle over 2400m at Sandown on April 18.
“He still found the line the other day when he got exposed a little bit early,” Sadler said.
“He’s a better chaser and a couple of times in his races he’s got to the front a little bit too soon.
“He seems to have come through that race really well which surprised me as he’s been up a long time.”
Sadler said Starkiato had been green in his early days.
“As he’s gone on he’s become more genuine,” he said.
“His form is pretty honest. He was unlucky in a pretty good form race at Caulfield when he wasn’t beaten far and got turned side-on so you can definitely make a case for him having a good chance in the race.
“He’s always shown us something but it’s taken a while to come.”
Troy Corstens, manager of the Malua Racing operation for which Sadler trains, paid $40,000 for Starkiato at the 2010 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
“He was a lovely looking horse but he had a fluid bubble on his knee which put a lot of people off,” Corstens said.
“But I had my vet check it out and he said not to worry about it so I bought him.
“He had a really good attitude which he’s still got and hence he’s still a colt.
“He was a lovely looking animal and I had a budget of $80,000 to buy him so I was rapt to get him for $40,000.”
Listed Galilee Series Final (2400m) winner Backbone, prepared by Mick Kent, is favourite with TAB Sportsbet and has already been backed from $4.40 to $3.60 ahead of Starkiato and the Peter Moody-trained Vatuvei at $6.
Vatuvei was third in the Galilee Series Final at Mornington on April 8.
