I Am A Star claims Group One Myer Stakes

Three-year-old I Am A Star has upstaged her older rivals at weight-for-age to win the Group One Myer Classic.

Giving jockey Dean Yendall a second Group One win a month after landing his first, I Am A Star ($8.50) held off French Emotion ($31) on Saturday to win the most important fillies and mares race during the Melbourne Cup carnival at Flemington.

Denmagic ($61) took the minor placing.

Yendall plies his trade mostly on country Victorian tracks, but his carnival opportunities have been on the rise this year because he can take rides at light weights.

I Am A Star had 49kg under Saturday’s scale and trainer Shane Nichols said her postage stamp weight might have been the difference between winning and losing.

“I saw her come off the bridle at the top of the straight and (Yendall) gave her a dig to get her rolling and then sat up for a little while,” Nichols said.

“But when he hammered down with 49 (kilos), she kept running through the line.”