Superstar Leo (18 March 1998 – June 2024) was an Irish-bred, British-trained champion Thoroughbred racehorse and successful broodmare.
[1] Superstar Leo, a small ("pint-sized"[2]) bay filly, was sired by the sprinter College Chapel out of the mare Council Rock.
[3] She was bred at the Cheval Court Stud, Coulsdon, Surrey[4] by the eleven-times Champion Jockey Lester Piggott who named her after the cruise ship now known as the Norwegian Spirit.
Apart from Superstar Leo, his best offspring were probably the Greenlands Stakes winner Final Exam and the good handicapper Tolpuddle.
[12] Haggas commented that she had won "a bit easily"[9] After the race she was sold to Roy Jackson's Pennsylvania-based Lael Stable[13] after her connections received an offer that was reportedly "too good to refuse".
The race also attracted the Queen Mary Stakes winner Romantic Myth, who was made 10/11 favourite ahead of Superstar Leo on 9/2.
[14] Michael Hills held Superstar Leo up in the early stages before making a challenge in the last quarter mile.
The absence of Group One races restricted to two-year-olds over five furlongs however,[2] has led some trainers to try their sprinting juveniles in open age competition.
In the Longchamp race Superstar Leo was prominent from the start, and Michael Hills moved her up to take the lead at half way.
[21] In the International Classification for 2000, Superstar Leo was rated on 123, making her officially the best two-year-old filly in Europe by a margin of seven pounds.