Kevin Manning

Eight years on from the G1 2000 Guineas success of Dawn Approach (Ire), Jim Bolger's Poetic Flare (Ire) proved every bit as tough and resilient as his sire was dominant when outbattling Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in a thrilling renewal of the QIPCO-sponsored Newmarket Classic on Saturday. Positioned close enough to the furious tempo set by Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) from the outset, the 16-1 shot was at the fore alongside the eventual runner-up as they reeled in that pacemaker a furlong from home with Lucky...

Saturday was unofficially Jim Bolger day, with his breeding operation excelling with two group 1 successes and a trio of pattern-race wins across three countries. Chief among them was Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), who sported the family silks as he carried off an attritional renewal of Doncaster's G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy. As the ground deteriorated on Town Moor, the race which has so often been a key pointer to the following season's Classics lost a vital player with Ballydoyle withdrawing the likely favourite Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). What...