Blueflagflyinghigh
Race entries
Purchased at the Tattersalls Book 2 Sale, this colt is by the Coolmore Stallion STARSPANGLEDBANNER: https://coolmore.com/farms/ireland/stallions/starspangledbanner
- European Champion Sprinter
- The best son of Choisir and closely related to multiple Group 1 winners Haradasun and Elvstroem
- Won the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot just like his sire Choisir
- Won the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket like leading sire Oasis Dream
- Won the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate just like the exceptional sire Fastnet Rock
- Won the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas in a faster time than the proven sires Redoute’s Choice & Lonhro
- Yearlings in 2020 sold for 360,000gns, 200,000gns, £170,000, 170,000gns, 140,000gns, £130,000, 130,000gns, €125,000, 125,000gns etc
- Thought this was a nice quote from the Coolmore website - ‘Speed, Power, Class & Good Looks!’
It’s always a fascinating dilemma, when purchasing a yearling, or any unraced horse, for that matter, especially on a middle market budget like ours, whether to prioritise pedigree over the individual, or individual over pedigree. Fortunately, in the case of this stunning looking son of STARSPANGLEDBANNER, you can have BOTH.
Here's a Racing Post Bloodstock story on Starspangledbanner: https://www.racingpost.com/bloodstock/bloodstock-latest/he-injects-speed-and-class-high-flying-starspangledbanner-defying-the-odds/494885
We’ve had plenty of success over the years with progeny of the great Starspangledbanner, most notably, The Rosstafarian, who was placed at black type level for us and also ran in the Group 2 Craven Stakes and Irish 2000 Guineas in 2021. He was sold, at the end of his GB career, to Hong Kong, for a very hefty, arguably, life changing sum for his lucky owners.
One would struggle to find a more stunning, imposing, or better moving model and, in this colt, one has the surety that the mare has already produced the Group/Grade 2 performing fillies Goodthingstaketime and Miss Gathering. Both were winners as 2 year olds, both were by Canford Cliffs. This colt represents the first colt out of the mare therefore. Without wishing to offend the exploits of Canford Cliffs’ progeny, Starspangledbanner’s offspring would be in a different stratosphere, ability wise. This colt is out of a Holy Roman Emperor mare, Holy Roman Emperor tends to impart speed and precocity.
See his walk and profile here:
Here's Michael with him in the yard:
A big, strapping individual. There’s plenty of him. He was given the winter to grow into his frame and has been allocated a very very workable opening mark of 73 and his undoubted talent could see him racing off 14-20lbs higher than that after his next 3 runs. He’s the sort of horse who could sell abroad for 150-200k at the end of his 3yo career, if things work out as we hope.
Racing update (21st January): Michael sent us a video of him this morning (shown below), saying "Blueflagflyinghigh worked pleasingly this morning on the Cambridge road in preparation for Wednesday at Newcastle." Timeform liked what they saw in his season opener, giving him a career best rating of 85p. They say: "Upped in trip for handicap/all-weather debut, after 3 months off (gelded), should have won, undone by a combination of residual greenness and a poor position the way this unfolded; dwelt, raced off the pace, still plenty to do 2f out, hung left soon after, switched 1f out and stayed on strongly, nearest at the finish; has got plenty of size about him and seems a banker to keep going the right way, so he's one to watch out for." His race entries/declarations will show on this page.
21st January (far side)