Far Above (Ire) (Farhh {GB}) has joined the Compas Stallions roster for the 2021 season. Micheal Orlandi spoke with TDN's Alayna Cullen about the new stallion who showed blistering speed throughout his racing career.
AC: Micheal, Far Above, although lightly raced, was a racehorse of note. What were some of the highlights of his racing career?
MO: He was a fantastic racehorse and exceptionally fast. He started off as a breeze up horse and I liked the fact that he came through the breeze ups and developed into top-class racehorse. It showed great strength of mind and physical strength that he progressed throughout his career and got better. What I loved about his career was he actually got faster when James Tate, his trainer, dropped him back in trip. He started at seven, went back to six, and his best race and best career performance was at Newmarket in the Palace House over five furlongs. Race record is very important in signing a stallion, and Far Above ended his career being Timeform rated 122.
AC: How is it that he came to stand at Compas Stallions?
MO: These things are very interesting and normally not very straightforward, but in a roundabout way, Jack Cantillon and myself wanted to stand a stallion together under the Compas banner alongside his racing syndicate. There was plenty of other people interested in the stallion but Jack and I put together a pitch and we approached Jono Mills of Rabbah on behalf of Sheikh Dalmook and we were fortunate that they decided the best place for Far Above was Compas Stallions. We are really excited to have him. He's really a stallion that we think complements Kuroshio (Aus) and the rest of the guys here: Cappella Sansevero (Ire) and Smooth Daddy.
AC: He is by an interesting sire and his damsire is one of the most prolific around. What are the highlights of his pedigree?
MO: He's by Farhh, who statistically is an exceptional stallion. He is a son of Pivotal (GB), who is a proven sire of sires with Siyouni (Fr) doing so well in France. Far Above is out of a Shamadal mare, probably the broodmare sire of the moment, and the cross of Pivotal and Shamadal has worked well.
AC: He looks to be an imposing type of horse. Tell us about his conformation.
MO: He's a fantastic physical. I remember reading somewhere that Napoleon had a famous war horse called Marengo and if I had to ride to war, I'd definitely ride to war on Far Above. He's got fantastic use of himself first and foremost. A beautiful head, great, genuine eye with an unbelievable shoulder to him. He's got great bone and he's very correct. The physical is very hard to fault, because he has all the attributes you'd want. He's got plenty of strength, he's well balanced and he has a great way of walking. You wouldn't hear him walk past you, he just glides over the ground. I don't know anyone who has come to see him who has faulted him.
AC: Considering the positive reviews from those who have come to see him, do you have an idea of how well supported he might be in the new season?
MO: Breeders in Ireland are very conscious of breeding fast, precocious horses as well as breeding a horse that hopefully will sell well too. Far Above has those attributes in pedigree and physique. Breeders on the flat are very clued in, they know the time of day, and the amount of interest in him from breeders in France, the UK and all across Ireland has been great. It's not by accident that there is a huge interest in breeding rights. The people who are planning to breed to Far Above and who have bought breeding rights for Far Above have been successful and have established themselves as leading breeders in Ireland, the UK and France for a number of years. They're not a flash in the pan. It gives me great confidence in the stallion and I think an apple doesn't fall too far from the tree so I'd be very confident that Far Above will be a success for everyone who's involved in him.
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