'It's a bitter day' - Starlet's Sister, dam of Sottsass, Sistercharlie and millionaires in the ring, dies at 14

Starlet's Sister, the dam of Sottsass, Sistercharlie and My Sister Nat, and whose progeny have gone through the ring for up to €2.5 million, has died at the age of 14 following an attack of colic.

Starlet’s Sister, who was owned by Ecurie des Monceaux, was by Galileo out of the Green Tune mare Premiere Creation, and was bred by Prestonwood Farm Inc.

She was winless in four starts on the track but immediately made an impact in the breeding sheds as her first foal was Sistercharlie, by Myboycharlie.

She went on to be a prolific winner, scoring at the highest level no fewer than seven times, from the 2018 Jenny Wiley Stakes to the 2019 Flower Bowl. That was from extremely humble origins, as a €12,000 Arqana October yearling.

Sistercharlie carried Peter Brant’s familiar green silks in the United States, as did her half-sister by Acclamation, My Sister Nat, who was a Group/Grade 3 winner on both sides of the Atlantic, and also a dual Grade 1 runner-up.

Henri Bozo with Starlet's Sister at Haras des Monceaux in 2019Credit: Scoop Dyga / France Galop

Sottsass, by Siyouni, cost a fair bit more in the Arqana ring, €340,000 in his case to Oceanic Bloodstock, but it proved money well spent as the now Coolmore sire became a Classic winner in the Prix de Jockey Club, also won the Ganay and crowned a stellar career with victory in the Arc, again in Brant’s silks.

Prices and appetite for Starler’s Sister’s offspring only grew. Pure Dignity, her daughter by Dubawi, set her Bahraini connections back €2.5m at Arqana in 2020 – she was a debut winner but perhaps her future is all ahead of her as a broodmare.

Last year, the full-brother to Sottsass, Shin Emperor, was hammered down to Yoshito Yahagi for €2.1m. He recently made a winning debut in Japan, so has clearly inherited his family’s talent. He has been declared to run in a Group 3 over ten furlongs at Kyoto on Saturday, with João Moreira booked. 

Seven of the dam’s eight runners have won, and Monceaux retained the last filly out of her, Snowpark, by Dubawi so a full-sister to Pure Dignity. She was a winner at Deauville last year at two.

An emotional Henri Bozo said: “It’s a bitter day. She transformed the fortunes of this farm. She gave so much and she changed a lot of things for the whole team here and all the partners.

“She was so easy to deal with and so straightforward. The only bad step she took was today and unfortunately she didn’t survive an attack of colic.

It’s very sad for all of us. I bought her privately from Hubert Guy, who offered her to us. She was by Galileo and her trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre gave me some good reports in terms of her ability.

“We took a chance, but anybody might have. She was an amazing broodmare and an amazing herd mare.

“She was so uncomplicated. Every year she went in foal and she produced champions. It’s once in a lifetime to have a horse like her.

“It was emotional when her offspring went through the ring at Arqana.”

Sottsass: stunning son of Starlet's SisterCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Reflecting on Sottsass and his Longchamp glory, Bozo said: "I had dreamed of winning the Arc since I was a kid and my father won it twice as a breeder with the De Moussac family [with Trempolino and Subotica]. 

"It was a very special to win an Arc as a breeder with Sottsass. They could all run and they were all gifted and they all lasted – Sistercharlie, My Sister Nat, Sottsass – they all produced so many amazing performances over the years because they were genuine and they lasted. 

“She counted for an awful lot for everyone here on the farm and we’ve talked an awful lot today about her and her offspring. She leaves a void. That is life but it’s very hard. 

"Thank God we kept Snowpark, who won very impressively on her debut at Deauville and then got ill and was never really quite the same. 

“She is already here with us and I don’t know which stallion she will visit yet, but I hope she can continue the line of this extraordinary mare. She really spoiled us.”