Racing career
1910: two-year-old season
Sunstar showed useful form in winning three of his six races as a two-year-old in 1910. He began his career at Royal Ascot in June when he ran fourth in the New Stakes, a race now known as the Norfolk Stakes. He recorded his first win in the Exeter Stakes at Newmarket and then finished second to St Nat in a race at Goodwood before winning the International Plate at Kempton. In the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster he finished third to Pietri. He returned to Newmarket for the Hopeful Stakes and produced his best performance of the season when dead-heating with Borrow, a colt who went on to win the Middle Park Stakes in October.[5]
1911: three-year-old season
In the winter and early spring of 1911, Sunstar began to make rapid progress and Morton decided to test the colt in a private trial race at Wantage. On the morning of Good Friday, 14 April, Sunstar was pitted against two good older horses The Story and Spanish Prince and won impressively. The form of the trial looked even better when both of the beaten horses won important handicap races in the subsequent weeks.[6] News of the supposedly private trial soon became public, and when Sunstar appeared at Newmarket for the 2000 Guineas twelve days later, he started the 5/1 second favourite in a field of fourteen runners. Ridden by the French jockey George Stern, he won by two lengths from, Lord Derby's colt Stedfast[7] in a race record time of 1:37.6.[8] Two weeks after his win in the Guineas, Sunstar was moved up to ten furlongs to run in the Newmarket Stakes, despite the concerns of his trainer, who felt that the unusually hard ground presented a risk of injury to the colt's legs.[9] He won the race from Beaurepaire and Persephone, showing that despite his pedigree,[1] he had the stamina for middle distances[10] and confirming his position as favourite for the Derby.[11]
Nine days before the Derby Sunstar pulled up lame in his right foreleg after a training gallop. He had sustained an injury to the suspensory ligaments or the "back tendons"[12] so painful that he was unable to put any weight on the injured leg, making his participation at Epsom extremely doubtful. Morton worked on the injury for the next week, with one treatment involving wrapping the affected leg in cabbage leaves.[13] He was able to deal with the superficial lameness, but informed Joel that the underlying condition remained and that although Sunstar would be able to run in the Derby, any further aggravation of the injury would almost certainly end the horses career. Joel took the decision to run Sunstar, whatever the long-term consequences.[6] In the build-up to the race there were rumours that Sunstar was the target of a plot to prevent his running, orchestrated either by Joel's personal enemies or by unscrupulous bookmakers who stood to lose heavily if the colt were successful. Joel responded by ensuring the Wantage stables were subject to strict security measures.[14] It was later alleged that the source of the rumours was Joel himself, and that the whole affair was either a poorly judged practical joke or an attempt to obtain better odds.[15]
At Epsom on 31 May, Sunstar, despite widespread rumours about his fitness, started the 13/8 favourite in a field of twenty-six runners. The race took place on a fine day and attracted the customary enormous crowd including the King and Queen.[16] The field was considered weaker than usual, with several of the year's best colts missing the race, including the City and Suburban Handicap winner Mushroom, who had never been entered.[17] The start was unsatisfactory, as Stedfast refused to line up with the other runners and was left several lengths behind when the race began. George Stern settled Sunstar in fourth or fifth place behind Bannockburn, Phryxus and Eton Boy, until the turn into the straight when he sent the favourite through a gap on the inside to take the lead. Sunstar went clear of the field, but Stedfast, who had made up a great deal of ground, emerged as his challenger and got to within a length of the leader a furlong from the finish. At this point Stern felt Sunstar falter as his suspect foreleg gave way, but despite his injury, the colt pulled ahead again and won by two lengths from Stedfast, with Royal Tudor four lengths back in third.[18] His winning time of 3:36.8 equaled the second fastest time in the race's history. Sunstar's lameness returned as soon as he pulled up after the race and he was barely able to walk to the winner's circle.[19] It was a first Derby win for Stern, after finishing second on Jardy in 1905 and Louviers in 1909.[20] In addition to the winner's prize of £6,450, Joel reportedly took over £30,000 in winning bets.[21] Initial reports stated that Sunstar was to be immediately taken out of training and retired.[22] In reality, the colt showed some signs of recovery[23] and was being prepared for the St Leger at Doncaster in September when he broke down again in training in August and was then retired to stud.[24]