Flemensfirth takes first crown
The 26-year-old sire ends King’s Theatre’s four-year reign to land the jump sire’s title after a ding-dong battle that went to the wire
THE battle to be the season’s top jump sire went right to the final day, when the splendid veteran Flemensfirth leapfrogged King’s Theatre to take the crown. For much of the campaign it had been nip and tuck between the two stallions, each of whose progeny earned more than £2.5m.
After more than a decade as a top-10 regular, it was a first title for 26-year-old Flemensfirth, who thwarted a fifth in a row, and a sixth in all, for the late King’s Theatre. The pair finished ahead of Presenting, Milan, Kayf Tara and Oscar.
Flemensfirth is based under the Coolmore banner at The Beeches in Co. Waterford, where this year he notched a remarkable 21st consecutive covering season at the McCarthy family’s nursery. In deference to his age, his book was small and select, at his highest-ever fee of €15,000 (£13,200).
As a runner when trained by John Gosden, the son of dual Arc winner Alleged had been pretty classy at 10 furlongs, with two Group One wins, the Prix Lupin and Premio Roma, and two Group Twos, consecutive runnings of the Prix Dollar.
He also had an excellent attitude to his job — he won his first Dollar despite sustaining a hairline fracture of a cannon bone during the race, returned after a year off to win his second
and a month later gritted his teeth on firm ground he disliked to win the Roma.
A SIRE OF MUDLARKS
FLEMENSFIRTH, who like
King’s Theatre raced for Sheikh Mohammed, showed his best form on soft ground and the wet winter did no harm at all to his title prospects, as his stock are perfectly at home when the mud is flying, as well as showing their sire’s determination.
They earned Flemensfirth — the first champion for the Coolmore National Hunt operation since Supreme Leader in 2005/06 — over £2.5m. He was the only stallion with four individual Grade One winners during the season. These were: the exciting seven-year-old Waiting Patiently, who beat Cue Card in the Ascot Chase and is now rated behind only Imperial Commander, Flemenstar and Tidal Bay among his sire’s progeny; novice hurdler Poetic Rhythm; and two bumper stars in Cheltenham heroine Relegate and Tornado Flyer, a winner last week at Punchestown.