Star Son, a chance purchase at the 2007 South Island Sale, had his third win from six starts yesterday.
The 3yr-old Seasoned Star-Alright gelding is trained at Ashburton by Alex Cowan for long-time owners Brian and Barry Kirk, of Ashburton.
"I sorted out six horses as possibilities to buy at the South Island sale but Alex didn't like any of them," Brian Kirk said.
"Then he saw this one come into the parade ring, liked it and I said buy it."
Star Son cost $5000.
He is the first live foal out of Alight, an unplaced mare by Personal Escort out of Bi Light (11 wins).
Star Son was offered by Brian and Lorraine Anderton and Mickey Weastell.
The Kirk brothers won 10 races with Palatable Prince whom they trained in the late 1980s.
They won their first race with Gabbler in 1960 at Motukarara.
Gabbler was trained at Riccarton by Ken Thomson.
The brothers then took over the training of Gabbler and won another four races with the Gabador gelding.
Others they have raced include Glencourt and Glenmhor.
The Anderton stable won yesterday with Royal Flight.
It was the third successive win for Royal Flight from four starts.
The 4yr-old Danzighill-Capital Flight mare is raced by her breeders Wayne and Karen Stewart, of the White Robe Lodge Stud with The Lucky 8 syndicate.
The Stewarts bought Capital Flight (a winner) from the late Bernie O'Donnell.
Royal Flight is the fifth foal of Capital Flight, a Noble Bijou mare who has other winners Flight Captain, Yummy and Astral Travel.
Flight Captain won five races before he was sold to Perth. Brian Anderton trained Atlantic Flight, the fourth dam of Royal Flight, to win three races including a maiden race at Oamaru in 1969.
He bred Gem Flight from Atlantic Flight and she in turn left him the high-class Australian galloper, Alibhai.
• Kidunot travelled from Gore to Palmerston North at the weekend for a campaign in the lower North Island.
The Ellis Winsloe-trained Kidunot is in the Awapuni Hurdles on Saturday.
Daniel Bothamley has the mount.
Joanne Rathbone, who rode Kidunot to a last-start win in a hurdles at Oamaru, has another commitment.
Son Of The Oak, who pulled up distressed after a maiden steeples at Riccarton on Thursday, has been retired.
"It was just the very heavy ground that got to him," Shane Anderton, his co-trainer, said.
Son Of The Oak won the 2007 Invercargill Cup when trained by Lester Morris.
