Shaw strikes with Faraglioni’s half-sister
Richard Edmunds • September 14th, 2025 4:55 PM • 3 min read
Faraglioni’s retirement has left a big hole in Josh Shaw’s stable this season, but the Group One performer’s half-sister Chart The Stars has started to do her bit to continue the family legacy.
Chart The Stars opened her winning account in the second start of her career in the Hoult Contractors & Crowley Forge Master Farriers (1200m) on the Awapuni synthetic track on Sunday.
The four-year-old was sent out as one of the outsiders of the five-horse field at $13.30, but she went straight to the lead and dominated from the front under jockey Kavish Chowdhoory.
Good Craic, Niemi and Vigor Happiness all threw everything they had at the leader down the straight, but Chart The Stars dug in and held them all out by three-quarters of a length.
Chart The Stars is by U S Navy Flag and is now the fifth winner from five foals to race out of the Zabeel mare Catch Your Idol. That list is headed by Shaw’s former stable star Faraglioni, who won five of her 29 starts and earned $447,125. She was runner-up in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Gr.1 TAB Classic (1600m), Gr.2 Westbury Classic (1400m), Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) and Gr.2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes (1400m).
Faraglioni injured a suspensory ligament in June of this year and has been retired to the broodmare paddock, visiting high-profile new Coolmore stallion City Of Troy this spring.
“It was sad to see Faraglioni go, but she really did us proud through her career,” Shaw said. “It’s nice to have a talented half-sister to carry on with, and hopefully she has a bit more ahead of her.
“That was a good, tough win today. She really stuck her neck out when she needed to and held on well.”
Sunday’s win came 127 days after Chart The Stars’ only other raceday appearance, in which she finished eighth in a 1000m maiden race at Trentham on May 10.
“She’s always shown us a huge amount of ability, right from the start, but she’s just been a bit of a time job,” Shaw said. “Her legs can go pretty fast, but sometimes her brain goes even faster. It’s just been a matter of giving her the time and education that she needs.
“Today’s win shows that she’s starting to get there now. She might head out in the paddock now and then come back even better with this bit more experience under her belt.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk.
