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Hall of Fame - Stars Go Blue

Original article written by Nathan Klein posted 3 years 1 week ago

Many SIM trainers have trained many champions in their time but most can agree that there is always "the one". The one horse who was better than anything they ever had before and since. That one bolt of lightning you catch in a bottle. The horse of a lifetime that you will cherish for the rest of time. For Nini Hunter that was Stars Go Blue.

She was a very tall and imposing mare just under 17 hands high. Long legs that weren't fast immediately but could take her across the half of mile distance faster than anyone else. And the signature white face and blue coat that covered her body. She was the product of two Hall of Fame horses. Blue Merle another legendary blue roan paint who won all 13 of his races. And Sneaky Indian who won the Steward's Cup Debutante and Steward's Cup Matron. Despite being blue Stars Go Blue was most definitely bred in the purple.

She was in stakes company from the very beginning. Running her first start in the Oklahoma Juvenile Fillies. She started slowly but by the first quarter she began to accelerate leaving her competition in the dust by over 3 lengths. She'd rack up 2 more races in this manner prepping her up for her grade 1 debut the Steward's Cup Debutante. She would be attempting to repeat the efforts of her dam and win the race. She would break well but let Foolish B Bar go to the early lead. Stars Go Blue was not the type to show her best at the start of the race. Even with a good 1 1/4 length deficit she made up the margin easily zooming by and opening up a length of her own at the finish. With 4 wins all in stakes company including a Steward's Cup Race there was no doubt who was the best 2-year-old paint filly that year. She would win the Simmy award of Paint Champion Two Year Old Female in a landslide.

Unfortunately she was not undefeated when she started at the age of 3. Losing her first start by giving Foolish B Bar and Spot This Jet too much of a lead early. Despite a late rush Foolish B Bar had just enough to hold her off by a head and give her the very first of 4 defeats in her career. The exact same thing would happen in her very next start with Foolish B Bar winning again by a neck. Foolish B Bar would prove to be her greatest rival as the two horses would face off 11 times. Foolish B Bar would manage to win 3 times against Stars Go Blue more than any other horse. She was also the only filly to ever defeat Stars Go Blue. Following these 2 defeats would easily win 3 stakes races prepping her self up for the Steward's Cup Paint Matron. The race would be different as she and 3 other horses raced in a wall zooming down the stretch in unison. The 4 crossed the wire nearly the same time. But Stars Go Blue went for gold winning the race by a whisker and taking the Simmy for Paint Champion Three Year Old Female.

At the age of 4 she would continue her rivalry with Foolish B Bar as they would go 1-2 in there next 3 starts. When they won it was quite decisive as Stars Go Blue would win her first race by half a length. Foolish B Bar would retaliate with a win by 1 1/2 lengths the last time Foolish B Bar would ever defeat Stars Go Blue. Stars Go Blue would win the third encounter that year by 1 1/4 lengths with her signature late kick. Her next 2 starts would both have thrilling finishes. First she would race against the boys and fly past the leaders with Dakota Gold. The 2 ran in near unison with Foul Monkey flying late on the far outside. In the middle Star Goes Blue just barely held off both winning by a nose. She would repeat this sort of performance next start squeezing in-between Bobbie Merle and Prairie Star to get up in a 3 horse photo finish. However, she would then daringly go in the Steward's Cup Paint Classic. Pushing the nearly invincible horse one step too far as she would finish off the board for the very first and only time in her career. Managing an abysmal 7th place finish only beating 2 horses.

But that was the last time she would lose. At the age of 5 she was invincible, absolute pure constancy every time. She would break quickly and in the final strides prove to be the best horse. She knew how to time her moves just right. Getting up just in time to beat Aurelian in her first start back. Before going on to beat her regular rivals such as Foolish B Bar by clearer margins towards the end. Winning 3 straight races by 1 length or further prepping up for a title defense in the Steward's Cup Paint Matron. The race would have all of her main rivals back for one final shot to face off against the filly. Even her old rival Foolish B Bar returned for an 11th and final bout with Stars Go Blue.

At the start she would let Prairie Star and Foolish B Bar go to the lead with her back in 4th place on the very far inside. But soon she began to accelerate her long legs powering her huge blue body across the ground like she was on thin air. Stride after stride she caught up to the 2 front runners. Everyone tried desperately to keep up but simply no one could, she was unbeatable that day and ran on to win the race by 3/4 of a length. After that she had nothing left to prove. She won 18 of her 22 starts never worse than second all but 1 of those times. Earning just under 1 million dollars on track. As a broodmare she was just as blue as her coat. Managing to sire a Steward's Cup Matron winner of her own named Arwen. She was a horse of a lifetime according to her trainer "a complete joy to race", and "the most dominant horse I've ever owned."


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