Star Roch: From Unwanted Filly to Matriarch of Champions

In the late 1950s, amid postwar changes in Japanese racing, a scrawny dark bay filly no one wanted would rise to capture the nation’s biggest race, forging a legacy that still echoes decades later. This is the dramatic true story of Star Roch (born 1957), a Thoroughbred who defied the odds to become an Oaks winner, a history-making champion, and ultimately the foundation of one of Japan’s most significant female bloodlines.

Background: A Changing Era in Japanese Racing

The world Star Roch was born into was one of rebuilding and regulation. Postwar Japan, aiming to strengthen its domestic breeding industry, imposed limits on foreign-bred horses. During the 1950s and 1960s, Japan’s classic races – including the Derby, Oaks, and 2000 Guineas – were restricted to horses born and bred within Japan. Imported horses were barred from competing in these prestigious events.

Another defining feature of the era was the “lottery horse system” (抽選馬). If a young horse failed to sell before entering training, the JRA purchased it, raised it, and later assigned it to a registered owner by lottery. Because the most promising foals usually sold early, lottery-designated horses were often assumed to be inferior.

Star Roch entered this world with mixed fortune. Though a half-sister to juvenile champion Rising Winner, she was physically unimpressive as a foal, lacking muscle and balance. Buyers passed her over, and in 1959 she was purchased by the JRA for ¥1.5 million and sent to the Utsunomiya Training Center. Under professional care, she transformed dramatically: stronger, fitter, and suddenly full of promise.

When assigned to new owner Kinjirō Fujii, her name changed from “Roch” to Star Roch, inspired by an ancestor named Sunstar – a fitting name for a filly destined to shine.

Racing Career: The Underdog Who Dared to Dream

Star Roch debuted late in her two-year-old season and needed three starts to earn her first victory. Through early 1960 she raced solely against other lottery horses, winning three of six starts. Though consistent, she remained an unknown quantity.

That changed in the spring of 1960.

In the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), Star Roch went off as a modestly regarded 5th favorite in a field of twenty. She delivered a stunning late charge to finish third – a performance that proved she belonged among Japan’s top fillies.

But consistency eluded her. In her next prep race she finished a disappointing seventh, and bettors abandoned her ahead of the Japanese Oaks (Yushun Himba). Sent off as the 9th choice in a 25-horse field, few expected her to be a factor.

Instead, Star Roch unleashed the race of her life. Settling mid-pack early, she swung wide in the stretch and devoured ground with each stride. In the final yards she surged past the leaders, winning by a neck. The victory marked the first time a lottery-acquired horse had ever won one of Japan’s “Eight Major Races.”

Arima Kinen: A Historic Grand Prix Upset

Following her Oaks triumph, Star Roch campaigned through the summer and autumn, collecting additional wins and gradually improving against older horses. Still, when she was entered into the Arima Kinen – Japan’s year-end Grand Prix – the public dismissed her. Facing top male champions like Kodama, Komatsu Hikari, Kitano Oza, and Oetemon, she was just the 9th favorite among twelve runners.

But the race unfolded like a script written for her. Breaking sharply from the outside, Star Roch went straight to the front alongside Helios. With the top colts content to sit far behind, the early pace remained slow. As they entered the home stretch, Helios faded, but Star Roch powered on.

The male champions launched their charges – too late. Star Roch crossed the finish two lengths clear, becoming the first three-year-old filly ever to win the Arima Kinen. The improbable underdog had toppled the nation’s elite.

Her 1960 earnings totaled ¥11.37 million – a considerable sum at the time, with the Arima Kinen winner’s purse of ¥3,000,000 worth the equivalent of hundreds of millions of yen today. She was crowned Champion 3-Year-Old Filly of the year.

Final Season and Injury

Her four-year-old season proved difficult. She ran five times without a win before finally capturing the Keio Hai Autumn Handicap in September 1961. But tragedy struck soon after. In the Mainichi Okan, she suffered a severe dislocation of her right foreleg and was pulled up mid-race. Her racing career was over, though she survived the injury thanks to diligent care.

Broodmare Legacy: A Dynasty Is Born

Retired to her birthplace as a broodmare, Star Roch produced more than ten foals. None became major winners themselves. But her influence would emerge in later generations. Through her daughters – Star Highness, Roch, Montaroch, Never Roch, and Roch Tesco – she founded what is now recognized as the “Star Roch branch” of the Craigdarroch maternal family (Family 11-c).

Her descendants would dominate Japanese racing:

• Hard Bargain – winner of the 1977 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), out of her daughter Roch.
• Sakura Yutaka O – winner of the 1986 Tenno Sho (Autumn), from the line of daughter Star Highness.
• Sakura Star O – 1987 dual Classic winner (Satsuki Sho & Kikuka Sho) and Horse of the Year.
• Winning Ticket – 1993 Japanese Derby winner, further solidifying the line’s excellence.

Collateral branches of the Craigdarroch family produced additional top runners such as Nihon Pillow Winner and Inter My Way, though these are from related but different female lines. Star Roch’s own branch remains one of the strongest in Japanese breeding.

A Matriarch’s Final Gift

Perhaps the most touching chapter of Star Roch’s life came near its end. In 1984, when Sakura Star O lost his dam shortly after birth, the 27-year-old Star Roch served as his nurse mare, raising the orphaned foal as her own. The care she gave would, in time, be repaid – Sakura Star O would rise to become a beloved Classic champion.

Star Roch passed away in August 1986 at the age of 30, just weeks before her great-grandson debuted on the track. She did not live to see the full heights of her lineage, yet her impact was undeniable.

Conclusion: The Lasting Brilliance of Star Roch

Star Roch’s life reads like a myth: an unwanted foal becomes an Oaks winner, defeats elite males in the Arima Kinen, and then shapes generations of champions as a broodmare. From the racetrack to the breeding shed, her journey is a testament to resilience, latent brilliance, and the unpredictable magic of Thoroughbred racing.

Today, her blood lives on in Classic winners, Derby champions, and influential stallions. Star Roch remains one of the most important female ancestors in modern Japanese racing – a true star, forever shining.