One of the leading sires for more than a decade, Sultan’s Starmaker was humanely put down due to complications from colic on Sunday, January 13 at the age of 22. Having been purchased by Carter and Karen Cox of Woodstock Farm as a coming two-year-old, the prolific stallion lived the rest of his life at their Danville, Ky., farm.
“He’s been on this farm as long as we have,” reflected Carter Cox. “He was a great asset to this farm, producing many, many nice horses for us. He produced a lot of game horses. If they lacked any athletic ability he more than made up for it with gameness.”
It wasn’t an accident that Sultan’s Starmaker produced so many show ring champions. Bred by the late Alvin C. Ruxer, he was a product of the “golden cross.” His sire, Supreme Sultan, led the ratings for many years and his influence is still greatly felt today through a number of world’s champion producing sons. Starmaker’s dam was the top Wing Commander daughter, Ann O’Lee and his second dam, the Leatherwood King daughter, Judy O’Lee, was also the second dam of Supreme Sultan.
Like Supreme Sultan and many of his sons, Starmaker gained an early reputation as a futurity sire producing many beautiful foals. And also like many in the Sultan line it took years before he was appreciated as a performance sire as well. In Saddle Horse Report’s recent World’s Champion Sire Rating, Sultan’s Starmaker was tied as the sixth overall sire of world’s champion performers, also ranking number three in both the five-gaited and three-gaited divisions. His current winners included Junior Exhibitor Five-Gaited 13 & Under World’s Grand Champion Tyler, the noted junior gaited performer Starmaker’s Triton, Three-Gaited Pony World’s Grand Champion Simbara’s Audacity, Amateur Three-Gaited 15.2 & Over Reserve World’s Champion The Irish Lord, the many times three-gaited champion Biras Creek, and the champion park horse Killian.
In addition to the above stars, his previous world and reserve world’s champions include Touch The Stars, Gone East, Like Fine Wine, Starmaker’s Southern Star, Coming Out, Starmaker’s Bouquet, Starmaker’s High Heels, The Star Of The Show, Timely Affair, Valhalla’s Valentino, Almond Joy, Starmaker’s Look At Me, Tortola, Albelarm Elegant Lady, and Clover Hill’s Cohiba.