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Letter of the Week

Idolised Ida last of the line

Pardon the melancholy, but a little piece of me retired when Carl Di Iorio revealed in Winning Post last week that Royal Ida had run his last race.

Royal Ida’s sire, Star Pyramul, was a son of Favoured Bay, an outstanding racehorse who would have beaten the Bart Cummings-trained Lord Dudley in the 1976 Australian Cup had he not blundered about 50 metres from the post.

I’ve been a dedicated follower of the Favoured Bay-Star Pyramul sire line for just on 40 years. When you have a favourite horse, and it all began with Favoured Bay, you just stick!

For the most part, Favoured Bay and Star Pyramul produced bread-and-butter racehorses, but you’ll remember a few, I’m sure — Burano, Thelma Josephine, Priceless Prince, Favoured Boy, Colebrook, Kilbaha Star, Pyramul Boy and Game Lad among them.

I got to know the idiosyncrasies of these horses so well that I claim about 50-per cent accuracy as to when and where they would win. A pity a great many of them found themselves with trainers who didn’t know them so well.

The Star Pyramuls, as individuals, had a very narrow winning distance range; few ever got beyond 1600 metres, they were best kept fresh and few, if any, ever "backed up".

Fittingly, Royal Ida, Star Pyramul’s best son — though Hero Wind was a worthy challenger — was the last Star to race. With no sons at stud, the dynasty has ended and for me there will forever be something missing in racing.

Keith Lofthouse
Great Western (Vic)
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