TDN Q&A: Tom Ryan Talks Flintshire

Juddmonte Farms's homebred globetrotter and champion turf horse Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}) captured five Grade/Group 1 races and amassed earnings in excess of $9.5 million in his 24-race career which came to a close after a wildly successful run in the United States for trainer Chad Brown in 2016. With the percentage of turf races in America rising from 5% to 17% over the last 26 years, more and more international stars like Flintshire have been imported to the country and, concurrently, the breeding industry has warmed to the idea of standing turf performers at stud in recent years.

With an open door for Flintshire to make his mark in America beyond his racing days, the team of Hill 'n' Dale Farms, SF Bloodstock, China Horse Club, Glen Hill Farm and Juddmonte joined together to stand the turf star at Hill 'n' Dale in 2017. Perhaps not coincidentally, he resides in the same stallion barn as 17-year-old perennial leading turf sire Kitten's Joy (El Prado {Ire}), who remains the gold standard for American farms standing younger grass performers.

How will Flintshire make his mark as a number of other credentialed turf stallions enter the market? With his first foals hitting the ground this spring, the TDN caught up with SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan to discuss his outlook for Flintshire, including the stallion's potential as a “crossover sire” who can be effective on multiple surfaces. In a market that demands increased versatility among stallions, Ryan and company are hopeful that they hit a home run.

TDN: What encouraged SF Bloodstock to invest in Flintshire as a stallion prospect?

TR: It was a very simple decision, he was a very durable racehorse. He had 23 lifetime starts. He won $9.5 million. He raced in Dubai, France, Hong Kong, America, England, always at the highest level, and competed with some of the best in the world.

TDN: Is it important to you that an organization with the reputation and international reach of Juddmonte opted to stay in with you on the stallion?

TR: Absolutely. It was very important that Juddmonte stayed involved, and we feel very privileged to be partners with them. As we all know, they have the ability to support a horse like this with some of the best mares in the world.

TDN: Can you discuss some of the top mares that Flintshire has bred?

TR: We've bred some young, great stakes mares. And we've bred some older great stakes producers. Namely, we've bred Sumthingtotalkabt (Mutakddim), who is the dam of Lady Shipman (Midshipman), who was one of the best turf-sprinting fillies in this country. And we've bred Unfold the Rose (Catienus), who is the dam of Stephanie's Kitten (Kitten's Joy), so yeah, we've bred some really nice mares to him.

TDN: What are your impressions of Flintshire's first foals?

TR: From what I've seen so far, his colts are just lovely and robust, and have strength throughout. And the fillies have a great elegance about their head and they're just lovely moving foals. We feel there's a uniformity about them that gives us confidence to breed more mares.

TDN: We know that Flintshire will have a presence here in the States. Do you plan on selling any of his progeny in Europe?

TR: For sure. We have two, we sent over two mares in foal to them this year. We sent over Danza Cavallo (Fr) (Sunday Break {Jpn}), who was second in the GI Flower Bowl S. She is due to foal this week. And we sent over a mare called Nikki's Brown Miss (Big Brown), who has already foaled and had a very good colt. She's actually a half-sister to Chocolate Martini (Broken Vow), who ran in the Kentucky Oaks.

TDN: He's a five-time Grade I winner with over $9 million in earnings. Is there a particular race of his that stands out to you?

TR: I think the GI Manhattan S. in 2016 was the race that really, really stuck out to me. He came home like a freight train, you know? He came home :24, :23, :22, :21. This is a horse that got faster as the race went on, and not many can do that.

TDN: Do you think there's a lot more opportunity to stand turf stallions in Kentucky than, say, five or 10 years ago?

TR: Yeah, I do believe that turf racing has upped its ante. I think people are enjoying turf racing more. But I do also have a very strong sense that it's important to have a partnership structured where we've got the China Horse Club, we've got Hill 'n' Dale Farm's support, we've got Glen Hill Farm's support, we've got Juddmonte's support, as well as the kind of marriage that SF brings to the table. So we can really get behind a horse like this and lift him up.

TDN: We hear a lot about the value of a crossover stallion who can produce on both surfaces these days. Do you think Flintshire's progeny have the potential to excel on dirt?

TR: You look at this year's Kentucky Derby and over half the field has a Northern Dancer influence, whether it's the top or the bottom. You look at a horse like Medaglia d'Oro, you're going back to Sadler's Wells through El Prado. Nothing's impossible, right? And he's going to be given every chance to become all that he can. This horse ran globally, without drugs, and showed up time and time again. He shipped and racetracks didn't matter–what was important to him was fast ground. And what we get a lot of in this country is fast ground. I think he's a future leading turf star in this country, and let's see what happens on the dirt.