Dawn Approach's Poetic Flare Dominant In the St James's Palace

They all assembled for another crack at Jim Bolger's workaholic Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in Tuesday's G1 St James's Palace S., but all they received was a more resounding beating as the wonder of Coolcullen spreadeagled a seemingly open-looking renewal of the mile contest. Bouncing out of Europe's three premier Guineas as if they were mere pipe-openers, the homebred with as extraordinary a make-up as the man who sculpted his presence duly ripped apart this race to land what look in hindsight to be excessively generous odds of 7-2. At least shown due respect to be granted the mantle of favouritism for this showcase event which brought together the main protagonists among the miling Classic crop, the Newmarket Guineas hero and Irish Guineas runner-up followed the exacting pace in third dragging along the main group. Arriving at the front two out with the unusual sight of Kevin Manning taking a pull, the generation leader was set down shortly after and surged away for an emphatic 4 1/4-length defeat of Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Ballydoyle's Battleground (War Front), who had underperformed so badly at Newmarket, was a neck away in third to underline the strength of the Guineas form. “The ground is the big key to him–on this quick ground he really shows his best and it's what he needs,” the winning rider said. “He showed how good he is. I owe everything to Jim–he's a marvellous trainer and to get this horse here after the runs he's had is fantastic. The horse is tough and just very, very good.”

Jim Bolger is approaching 80, but has shown recently that he remains distinctly unafraid. His legacy will be his unflinching enterprise, daring to push the envelope where others would bow to the perceived “knowledge”. It was with this colt's sire that he went from Newmarket to Epsom to this meeting without a hint of trepidation in 2013 and, while the middle part of that project went badly awry, by the time Dawn Approach got to the last leg it was as if his blue riband ordeal had never happened. That was only six years after Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr. Greeley) had weaved her way through the trio of fillies' Guineas with two triumphs and a near miss. Had Poetic Flare not missed almost all of his juvenile season, it is up in the air as to what else he could have achieved by this point.

Early indications that Poetic Flare was hewn from different rock came when he took Leopardstown's G3 Killavullan S. a week after his first outing in almost seven months in Newmarket's G1 Dewhurst S. While his return win in the former venue's Listed 2000 Guineas Trial S. over seven furlongs Apr. 11 failed to set the heart racing, Bolger could be heard issuing big noises ahead of the May 1 Newmarket 2000 Guineas and after the resulting pulsating duel with Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) we all knew why. Snared by the busy traffic around him up ParisLongchamp's straight when sixth in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains 15 days later, he came back from a six-day sojourn to lose out by a short head to Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in a Bolger-crafted culmination to the Curragh Classic staged on deep ground. There were some highly-regarded up-and-comers here such as the Listed Heron S. one-two Mostahdaf (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), alongside the cream of his native country, but when it came down to the final reckoning he treated them as underlings.

“It's just amazing–dad always had faith in him and I just called him to say 'you're a legend' and he said 'that's exactly what I was expecting',” Una Manning said. “Kevin said that it was like chalk and cheese riding him on that ground, so that's answered all our questions about France and the Curragh. I'm so thrilled for my parents–they've put so much into it over the years and started with a small business. I also want to thank our staff, who have worked extremely hard through challenging times. Dad says it will be the [July 28 G1] Sussex [at Goodwood] and the [G1] Prix Jacques le Marois [at Deauville Aug. 25], so it could be very interesting if Palace Pier goes there too.”

Bolger later spoke from his County Carlow base and said, “I have tremendous confidence in this horse and I was expecting him to go and do that. Thanks to all my staff and everybody who has helped. We always knew he was hardy from the word go, even when he was being broken in you couldn't keep him quiet. We've bred from the family since the very early 1980s, so a long time. When you have a horse winning the St James's Palace like that, you don't really think about all the relatives and the breeding, you wouldn't care if he came to you off the back of a truck as long as you had him. This horse is so hardy he's unbelievable, you have to give it to him to keep his back down.”

Trainer Jessica Harrington was left to reflect what might have been as Lucky Vega raced for her stable for the last time. “He certainly proved he stayed every yard of the mile against a horse that has beaten him three times now,” she said. “I think there will be an announcement in Australia and I will be very sad to lose him, because in my opinion he would certainly have won a group one if he'd remained here.”

Poetic Flare's dam Maria Lee (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), whose previous best was the Listed Zetland S. winner Glamorous Approach (Ire) by Dawn Approach's sire New Approach (Ire), is a full-sister to Bring Back Matron (Ire) who in turn produced the Listed Eyrefield S. winner Dubai Sand (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). The third dam Saviour (Majestic Light), a full-sister to the GI Blue Grass S. hero War, was responsible for the Listed Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. winner Speirbhean (Ire) (Danehill) who produced the aforementioned G1 Dewhurst S.-winning sire Teofilo, as well as the G2 Cape Verdi winner Poetic Charm (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Maria Lee also has the unraced 2-year-old full-brother to Poetic Flare named Frazil (Ire) and a yearling filly by U S Navy Flag.

Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
ST JAMES'S PALACE S.-G1, £350,000, Ascot, 6-15, 3yo, c, 7f 213yT, 1:37.40, g/f.
1–POETIC FLARE (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Dawn Approach (Ire)
1st Dam: Maria Lee (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)
2nd Dam: Elida (Ire), by Royal Academy
3rd Dam: Saviour, by Majestic Light
O-Mrs J S Bolger; B/T-Jim Bolger (IRE); J-Kevin Manning. £198,485. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Ire, 8-5-1-0, $761,077. *1/2 to Glamorous Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), SW & MGSP-Ire, SW-Eng, $224,182. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lucky Vega (Ire), 126, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Queen of Carthage, by Cape Cross (Ire). (€110,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV; €175,000 Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Zhang Yuesheng; B-Kilcarn Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. £75,250.
3–Battleground, 126, c, 3, War Front–Found (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. £37,660.
Margins: 4 1/4, NK, HF. Odds: 3.50, 4.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: Maximal (GB), Chindit (Ire), Highland Avenue (Ire), Thunder Moon (Ire), Naamoos (Fr), Wembley (Ire), La Barrosa (Ire), Bullace (GB), Mostahdaf (Ire), Ontario (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.