SENIOR SERVICE
Guineas triumph for 54-year-old jockey and 79-year-old trainer
TRAINER Jim Bolger described Poetic Flare as the ‘complete package’ after the 16-1 shot edged home by a short-head in the Qipco 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
In a head- bobbing finish, Poetic Flare, rid den byBo lg er’ s son-in-law Kevin Manning, just got the better of Charlie Appleby-trained Master Of The Seas with Lucky Vega a neck further back in third.
Manning at 54 became the oldest jockey to win the race since Lester Piggott won on Rodrigo de Triano aged 56 in 1992.
Bo lg er immediately opened up the possibility of a crack at the French 2,000 Guineas on May 16 and the Irish 2,000 Guineas six days later. The County Carlowbased trainer has potentially a huge Summer ahead of him ,with leading Cazoo Derby contender Mac Swiney also in his stable.
Bolger, landing his fifth British Classic, said: ‘If ever there was a horse to win three Guineas, this is it. Poetic Flare is the most complete racehorse I have ever had. You couldn’t find a fault in him.’
Poetic Flare, who was bred by Bolger and runs in the colours of his wife Jackie, made a winning debut at Naas in March last year.
A combination of C ovid -19 shutting down the sport and a growth spurt meant that the colt did not run again until being beaten just over eight lengths when unplaced in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October.
He won the Killavullan Stakes at Leopardstown later that month before returning to that track to win the 2,000 Guineas Trial last month.
Bolger, who won the 2008 Derby with New Approach, added: ‘What happened last year was a blessing in disguise. He grew about an inch and a half between March and August. I have never seen a horse grow as quickly as he did. It was best to be patient with him.’
Mac Swiney is likely to make his seasonal debut in the Derrinstown
Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown before heading to Epsom in June, although Bolger said he could stand in for Poetic Flare in the Irish 2,000 if it was felt yesterday’s winner needed a break.
Bolger last won the 2,000 Guineas with Dawn Approach, the sire of Poetic Flare, in 2013. A man who backs hi s own j udgment, t he majority of the Bolger string are owned by him and his family. It is a business model which demands success. When Mac Swiney won the Group One Vertem Futurity at Doncaster i n October, i t was Bolger’s first win at the top level since 2015.
Going into the race, if there was to be an Irish winner most would have thought it would be Aidan O’Brien trained. But the best of his three runners was Van Gogh in eighth as Wembley finished 11th and Battleground, the 9-2 favourite, was 13th.
It was the first time an O’Brien horse had not finished in the first four in the race since 2013.
Behind Battleground in last place was Joseph O’Brien’s well-backed Thunder Moon.