Poetic Flare bolts up in St James’s Palace Stakes to emulate sire
Poetic Flare (3 c Dawn Approach – Maria Lee by Rock Of Gibraltar) produced a sublime performance in the St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) yesterday to follow in the hoofprints of his sire and become the 15th horse to complete the 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m)-St James’s Palace double.
The Jim Bolger-trained colt travelled strongly entering the straight under Kevin Manning and powered clear inside the final two furlongs to score by four and a quarter lengths from soon-to-be Yulong Stud resident Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega), who now be retired and flown to Australia to embark on his stud career.
The Jessica Harrington-trained colt battled well in the final stages to hold off third-placed finisher Battleground (War Front) by a neck.
A short-head runner-up to Mac Swiney (New Approach) in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) last start, Poetic Flare was making his fifth appearance of a jam-packed season yesterday and joined the likes of his sire Dawn Approach (New Approach), Frankel (Galileo) and Gleneagles (Galileo) as recent winners of both the Guineas and St James’s Palace.
Manning, who last won this race aboard the Bolger-trained Dawn Approach in 2013, paid tribute to Poetic Flare post-race.
“He is unbelievable. Ground is the key to him. This good, quick ground is really where he shows his best,” he said. “That is what he got today and he has showed how good he is.”
On Poetic Flare’s trainer, who was saddling a ninth Royal Ascot winner and is also Manning’s father-in-law, the jockey added: “He is a marvellous trainer and to get him here after the runs he has had is unbelievable.
“I owe Jim everything, but I’d also like to say well done to all the lads in the yard who have kept this horse on the go and brought him here today the way he is. He is tough and he is very very good.”
Una Bolger, daughter of Jim, revealed the Irish trainer had plenty of confidence in Poetic Flare ahead of yesterday’s Group 1.
“It is just amazing, Dad always had faith in him,” she said. “I phoned him after the race and said ‘well done you’re a legend, gosh he did that well’ and he said ‘that is just what I was expecting’.
“I’m so thrilled for my parents because they have put so much into it through the years. From the time they started out, just the two of them, with a small business. It is amazing.”
Poetic Flare earned post-race quotes of 3-1 for the Sussex Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Goodwood on July 28, and has potentially set up a thrilling clash between himself and Queen Anne winner Palace Pier (Kingman).
“I had a quick word with my father and he said the Sussex or the Jacques Le Marois,” Bolger added.
The best of six runners out of Rock Of Gibraltar (Danehill) mare Maria Lee, Poetic Flare is closely related to Listed winner Glamourous Approach (New Approach), who was also twice placed in Group company.
Poetic Flare is the sole elite-level winner by Dawn Approach, who went on to finish runner-up to Swettenham Stud shuttler Toronado (High Chaparral) in the Sussex Stakes after his St James’s Palace win, and shuttled to Australia for five seasons between 2014 and 2018, leaving 264 live foals.
His southern hemisphere-bred progeny is led by Group 3 winners Dawn Passage and Dawn Patrol, as well as this year’s Kindergarten Stakes (Gr 3, 1100m) winner Paulele.