Dawn Approach

Jim Bolger has provided the strongest indication yet that the stable jockey vacancy left by his retired son-in-law Kevin Manning at Coolcullen Stables will not be filled by an outside rider and that the legendary trainer will be staying loyal to Rory Cleary and Luke McAteer this season. Cleary has already tasted major success for his long-standing boss when partnering MacSwiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) to lead home a Bolger-trained one-two in the 2021 Irish 2,000 Guineas, outpointing Manning aboard the better-fancied Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}). It was...

Jim Bolger says that his Classic-winning stallion prospect Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) will appeal to just about any stud in the world when he is offered for sale online by Goffs on January 20 but expressed a wish for Irish 2000 Guineas winner to stay in Ireland. The reason being, according to Bolger, is that he'd like to support Mac Swiney with a dozen mares in his debut season at stud. Bolger also revealed that, despite the fact the horse who led home stablemate Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn...

Jim Bolger has offered up a glowing tribute to multiple Group 1 and Classic-winning stable jockey Kevin Manning, who at the age of 55, announced his retirement from the saddle after riding a winner for his legendary father-in-law at Galway.  Manning joined Bolger in 1978. Together, they won the Derby with New Approach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the Irish Derby with Trading Leather (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and came within a whisker of completing the 1,000 Guineas treble with Finsceal Beo (Ire) (Mr Greeley), who went out on her shield at Longchamp...

For many years it was a tradition that the British Flat racing season would start on the Carholme at Lincoln towards the end of March and then finish at Manchester (and at Lingfield, which raced on the same afternoon) in November. Lincoln and Manchester have both now been lost in the mists of time, each having closed its doors in the 1960s. Happily, the season's first big race (the Lincolnshire H., as it became known in 1860, having previously been known as the Lincoln Spring H.) and its last big...

As he prepares his runners for the upcoming flat season, Jim Bolger is also keeping a watchful eye on his breeding stock. The master trainer may be juggling the education of his runners with the oversight of his broodmares and youngstock, but Bolger has proven mighty adept at this kind of multi-tasking in the past: as has been well-documented, Bolger breeds many of his own runners, often going back two or three generations on both the top and bottom of the pedigree. His 2021 G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St...

Arqana staged the second renewal of its November Yearling Sale on Saturday, with figures in line with its 2020 edition held amid the pre-vaccine pandemic. Last year, 215 yearlings were offered and this year it was 207. More were sold this year, 167 compared to 155, allowing the clearance rate to rise to 80.6% from 72%. The aggregate settled at €1,057,500, while the average was €6,332 (down slightly from €6,981) and the median was the same at €5,000. The top price was €30,000 compared to €57,000 last year, and that...

Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}--Maria Lee {Ire}, by Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), the top-rated 3-year-old miler of 2021, has been retired from racing and will stand at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan from next year. Winner of the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S., the colt has provided his master trainer Jim Bolger with perhaps the pinnacle of his parallel career as a breeder, for he not only bred, owned and trained Poetic Flare's sire and fellow Classic winner Dawn Approach, but he also trained his...

There are stallions with far bigger reputations who will never achieve what New Approach (Ire) has in his stud career. Yet somehow the horse who was champion 2-year-old, became the first Derby winner for Galileo (Ire), and was the joint-highest rated horse in the world in 2008 remains somewhat under-appreciated. It is all the more remarkable--and disappointing--given the hugely promising start made by New Approach early in his tenure at Dalham Hall Stud.  Sit through any breeze-up sale and you will regularly hear the auctioneer espousing the Royal Ascot potential...

Master horseman Jim Bolger may have been ensconced in Ireland during this weekend's Guineas Festival, but his influence was felt far and wide across the Rowley Mile. The fact that Bolger bred, trained and raced the 2000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire})-in addition to the small feat of breeding his sire and first two dams and training his grandsire and third dam-has been well documented in the following days. But Bolger's fingerprints were likewise on the G1 1000 Guineas the next day: he had trained the winner...

KILDARE, Ireland--The opening day of the rescheduled Goffs November Sale got off to a lukewarm start on Friday, with present circumstances understandably impacting trade. Last year's opening day was highlighted by a €100,000 session topper with seven foals selling for €50,000 or more, while 69.5% of the offered foals changed hands at an average of €17,957 and a median of €13,750. It was a slightly different story on Friday when only four foals reached or surpassed the €50,000 mark headed by a €75,000 session-topping Mehmas (Ire) colt. In total, 159...

The new yearling section of the Tattersalls Ireland November Flat Foal and Breeding Stock Sale provided the highlight lots during the rescheduled single-session sale at Fairyhouse on Wednesday, with a pair of fillies leading the way. Taking top honors at yet another yearling auction in 2020 was a Jim Bolger-bred, this time a Dawn Approach (Ire) filly out of the placed My Fere Lady (Mr Greeley) who was bought by Clongan House for €45,000. Her 3-year-old full-sister Feminista (Ire) is the lone winner from three runners for the mare. The...

To breed four 2-year-old stakes winners within a week would be a landmark accomplishment for anyone. For Jim Bolger, however, it merely scratches the surface of what he accomplished the past two Saturdays as a breeder, owner and trainer. Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) got things going on Oct. 17 at Leopardstown with a win in the G3 Killavullan S. Bolger bred not only Poetic Flare but his first two dams and his sire, and raced them all in the white and purple silks of his wife Jackie Bolger,...