Warwick and Karin Render’s Bush Hill Stud, the breeders of such G1 winners as Wolf Whistle, Stellite and Zirconeum, will be offering a top-class draft at the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale this April.

Bush Hill’s 12 strong draft includes yearlings by such proven G1 producing sires as Var, Oratorio, and Pathfork, as well as youngsters from the first crops of exciting stallions Flying The Flag, Coup De Grace and Willow Magic.

Resident sire, the impeccably red Galileo horse Flying The Flag, has four yearlings from his eagerly awaited first crop included in the Bush Hill Stud National Sale draft. The own brother to G1 winners Rhododendron and Magical is responsible for a colt (Lot 276) whose 5 time winning dam is a ½ to G1 performer She’s A Dragon, a filly (Lot 284) out of G2 The Fillies Nursery third Ashjaan, a half-brother (Lot 494) to Listed Michaelmas Handicap hero King Neptune, and a colt (Lot 502) whose G3 placed dam is a 5 time winning half-sister to Caradoc Gold Cup winner Chico Azul.

Var, the sire of more than 20 G1 horses thus far, is represented here by a filly (Lot 94) out of Fillies Guineas winner Go Indigo –a half-sister to a stakes winner by Var, while Var’s triple G1 winning stablemate Oratorio is the sire of a colt (Lot 259) whose dam was a stakes placed winner of four.

Crusade and Pathfork, both G1 winners at two, are both represented in the draft –Crusade colt Westminster (Lot 272) is a half-brother to 3 winners notably dual G3 Spring Spree Stakes second Angel’s Power, while Pathfork has a colt (Lot 526) out of G1 Thekwini Stakes runner up Silent Call.

Talented G2 The Debutante winner Tempted is represented in the Bush Hill draft by a colt (Lot 232) by triple G1 winner Jackson, while Tapit’s multiple graded stakes winning son Coup De Grace has a first crop son (Lot 314) out of Pretty Polly Stakes third place-getter Carina Coleman.

Another young sire with members of his first crop in this draft is Dubawi’s G1 SA Nursery winning son Willow Magic. The latter has a filly (Lot 429) out of G3 Magnolia Handicap winner and prolific producer Lee Danzig, while the latter’s daughter Millenium Reign also has a filly (Lot 448) by Willow Nursery on offer.

The 2019 National Yearling Sale is set to be held at the TBA complex in Germiston from April 24th to 26th and the catalogue can be viewed online at www.bsa.co.za.

Coolmore recently announced that Flying The Flag’s dam will once again visit Galileo for the 2018 season – its a pedigree cross that has excelled, producing triple Gr1 winner Rhododendron, Gr2 winner Magical and international Group winner, Flying The Flag. 

Young Bush Hill Stud based stallion, Flying The Flag, is a horse with an impressive pedigree, and his family continues to enjoy success at major race meetings around the world, writes Sarah Whitelaw.

The chestnut is a son of the world’s premier stallion, Galileo, who is just one away from tying his legendary own sire Sadler’s Wells’ record of 73 individual Gr1 winners.

Galileo has had another solid season, if not one quite comparable to his very best previous years, with his major winners including Kew Gardens (Gr1 Grand Prix de Paris), Waldgeist (Gr1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud) and Forever Together (Investec Oaks).

Glorious

At the time of writing (August 2018), Galileo has been represented by 24 stakes winners in 2018, with his other notable winners including the impressive 2yo, Anthony Van Dyck (Gr3 Tyros Stakes). In addition, Galileo has had another bumper year with his sire sons producing the winners of such races as the Gr1 Investec Derby, Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes, Gr1 Investec Coronation Cup, Gr1 Prix Jean Prat, Gr1 Prix Ganay, and Gr1 Doncaster Handicap. Remarkably, his sons Frankel, Nathaniel, Intello and Teofilo all enjoyed group success at Glorious Goodwood last week.

Galileo’s sons include the proven stallions New Approach, Frankel and Teofilo, as well as the hugely exciting younger sires Intello and Australia, with the latter responsible for a first crop group winner in the form of Beyond Reason (Gr3 Prix Six Perfections) and the former producing a Gr1 winner in his first crop, Intellogent (Prix Jean Prat). However, Flying The Flag’s appeal lies not only in the fact that he is a son of the world’s premier sire, but also that he hails from a tremendously powerful female line.

He is a full-brother to two group winners of 2018, and is also closely related to a very impressive recent group winning two-year-old, who could well feature in Gr1 contests later in the year.

Flying The Flag’s full-sisters Rhododendron and Magical further enhanced his pedigree page by landing the Gr1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes and Gr2 Kilboy Esate Stakes respectively in 2018.

The four-year-old Rhododendron, a Gr1 winner at two, three and four, has earned over £1 000 000 in stakes, while her talented year younger sister, Magical, was one of Ireland’s top two-year-old fillies in 2017, when she won the Gr2 Breast Cancer Research Debutante Stakes and finished second, beaten a short head, in the Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. The trio of Flying The Flag, Rhododendron and Magical were produced by top class racemare, Halfway To Heaven, whose four victories included the 2008 Gr1 Irish 1000 Guineas.

Land Force

Out of top sprinter Cassandra Go (winner of the 2001 Gr2 King’s Stand Stakes under South African legend Michael Roberts), Halfway To Heaven is a half-sister to Gr3 Summer Stakes winner, Theann (by Rock Of Gibraltar).

The latter, a proven high class producer whose previous runners include Gr1 Rodeo Drive Stakes winner, Photo Call (a Galileo ¾ sister to Flying The Flag et al), made headlines at Goodwood last week when her son, Land Force (a first group winner for his sire No Nay Never) captured the Qatar Gr2 Richmond Stakes. Land Force could well add further glory to his increasingly successful family as he holds entries in numerous big race 2yo contests this season – notably the Gr1 Keeneland Phoenix and Gr1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.

Land Force was not the only member from this potent family to strike at the 2018 Glorious Goodwood meeting.

Cross Counter (by Galileo’s unbeaten son, Teofilo) stamped himself a potential Melbourne Cup contender when he romped to a four and a half length win in the Gr3 Qatar Gordon Stakes at Goodwood on Saturday. The 3yo, who left Investec Derby runner up, Dee Ex Bee, in his wake, was produced by the stakes placed Kingmambo mare, Waitress, who shares her third dam, Rahaam, with Flying The Flag.

Read The Footnotes

Rahaam (Secreto) is also damsire of Coventry Stakes winner and successful sire, Verglas, while Rahaam’s own third dam, Native Street (Native Dancer) won the Kentucky Oaks.

The numerous top class performers descended from Native Street, herself dam of Florida Derby victor, Royal And Regal (Vaguely Noble), include short-lived Gr1 Gran Criterium winner, Pearl Of Love (Peintre Celebre), Gr1 winning sprinters, Dowsing and Stravinsky,  Fountain Of Youth Stakes winner and Gr1 sire, Read The Footnotes, and Gr3 Regal and Royal (Vaguely Noble), broodmare sire of Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner, Spain (Thunder Gulch).

The Native Street clan has also enjoyed success in South Africa, with the former Kentucky Oaks winner featuring as third dam of Gr1 SA Classic winning sire, Jam Alley (Peintre Celebre). This female line has clearly done well when mated with Nureyev and his sire /grandsire sons with this combination resulting in Stravinsky, Halfway To Heaven, Jam Alley and Pearl Of Love. Flying The Flag’s broodmare sire Pivotal was also in the news recently, when his son, Lightning Spear, captured the Gr1 Qatar Sussex Stakes last Wednesday to become his 28th individual Gr1 winner.

Pivotal, currently the Leading Broodmare Sire in Europe, has been represented by 12 top flight winners, notably triple Gr1 winner, Cracksman, the above mentioned Rhododendron, Cape sire, The United States, French classic winners, Olmedo and Precieuse, and English St Leger hero, Harbour Law.

-Sarah Whitelaw

*Flying The Flag stands at Bush Hill Stud for a fee of R20 000. His foals are very exciting, carrying outstanding quality, substance and size. Read more about his pedigree at the following link. 

“She’s a Group 1 winner at two three and four, over different trips and different ground and is very straightforward”

It was somehow one of the few to get away from world record-holder Aidan O’Brien last year but the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes was added to this year’s Group 1 roll of honour when Rhododendron, the full sister to Bush Hill Stud’s Flying The Flag, completed her redemption from a near-death experience in France just 11 months ago.

The master of Ballydoyle was also quickly moving on from his 300th Group 1 win, which was provided by Saxon Warrior in the 2,000 Guineas.

The Lockinge has proved elusive for the Coolmore team since Hawk Wing annihilated the field in 2003 and this second win was at the other end of the scale, as Rhododendron had a short-head to spare over last year’s runner-up Lightning Spear and beat a strong field of males.

O’Brien runners dictated the race, with Deauville striding on and Lancaster Bomber flanking him. Rhododendron was planted in the chasing pack.

Only Rhododendron and Lightning Spear could get past Lancaster Bomber and the pair produced the type of nip-and-tuck finish that Moore usually comes out on top of – although it was his first success in this race at the tenth attempt.

Paying tribute to the remarkable filly, Moore said: “She’s a Group 1 winner at two, three and four, over different trips and on different ground and is very straightforward.”

O’Brien took the opportunity to remember the darkest day for the daughter of Galileo, which was nearly a year ago in the Prix de Diane at Chantilly.

“She bled the worst I have ever seen. She exploded in the race and all the horses and jockeys were covered in her blood. I think may be it was the heat that day – it was 30 degrees at Chantilly.

“We were very worried for her – it is very rare for a horse to come back from something like that.”

That she recovered to win the Group 1 Prix de L’Opera on Arc weekend last year before finishing a gallant second in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar suggested she was made of something otherworldly.

Some may have questioned her remaining in training as she was swept aside by Cracksman over an extended mile and a quarter in France on her reappearance but all that did was get the Ballydoyle brains ticking.

O’Brien added: “The last day in France she travelled well through the race before John’s [Gosden] horse won well. She was going a step slower through the race than she wanted, she wanted to go a gear higher and that indicated she would be fine over a mile.”

That proved precisely the case but her Royal Ascot assignment could be either the Queen Anne over a mile, for which Paddy Power made her the 3-1 favourite (from 7-1), or the Prince Of Wales’s back over a mile and a quarter.

Ominously O’Brien added: “She is going to improve again – she hasn’t been on the grass gallop yet!”

The handsome chestnut stallion Flying The Flag stands for a fee of R20 000 and his first crop will be yearlings this August. Their younger full sister, Magical, won the Gr2 Debutante last year and finished a whisker off for 2nd in the Gr1 Moyglare to Happily.

-extract racingpost.co.uk

Noble Tune’s War Front juvenile half-brother, the handsome $2,6million weanling purchase owned by Coolmore, followed his half-brothers Honor Code and Noble Tune’s racing style to come from behind and push his way through to the front to win the Qatar Juvenile Sprint over 1000m on the turf.

Noble Tune’s sire the grey Unbridled’s Song, was represented with a winner when Gr1 winner Forever Unbridled took the Breeders Cup Distaff.

She is a full sister to Gr1 winner, Unbridled Forever, and not forgetting other recent Breeders Cup winners in Arrogate and Liam’s Map.

Declarationofpeace is trained by Aiden O’Brien and participated in the curtain raiser to the Breeders Cup after winning in Ireland just under a month ago. He won his debut by six lengths.

Noble Tune’s first crop of two year olds will be hitting the racetracks soon in South Africa, whilst Lane’s End have announced that their AP Indy half-brother, twice Gr1 winner Honor Code will again stand for a fee of $40 000 this season.

Crusade’s half-sister Seventh Heaven was given the tough ask against the boys in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Turf over 2400m on firm going where she finished in fifth place – Highland Reel was third, whilst Flower Alley’s son finished behind her.

She finished fourth in the Breeders Cup last year – the twice Gr1 winning filly who defeated the great Found also ran second in Dubai this year, where she finished second in the Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic and the only filly in the race.

Flying The Flag’s full sister, Irish 2YO Champion Filly of her year and recent Gr1 winner at Chantilly on Arc Day, Rhododendron was courageous to finish second in the Gr1 Breeders Cup Filly And Mare Turf over 1800m after encountering traffic.

She was beaten by half a length to a daughter who shares a sire with Summerhill resident sire Willow Magic, Wuheida by Dubawi. Lady Eli finished towards the end of the field.

Miesque’s Approval’s grey half-brother, the gelding World Approval emulated his half-brother by winning the Gr1 Breeders Cup Mile on Turf. Miesque’s Approval is well related – himself America’s Turf Horse Of The Year, his other grey half-brother is Gr3 winner Za Approval and Gr2 winner, Revved Up.

This is the fourth Gr1 win for World Approval to date. Miesque’s Approval, the sire of Gr2 winners J’s Outsider and Judicial, exported Gr1 placed and Gr3 winner Eton Square, as well as the likes of Putney Flyer and Approval Rating.

On the international news front, Golden Sword will be represented by his full brother at the race that stops the nation [Australia], the Melbourne Cup. Kindling currently has odds of 10/1.

The world record breaking trainer has 14 runners lined up to contest eight of the 13 Grade One races worth a total of $28 million.

Rhododendron, a full sister to Bush Hill Stud sire Flying The Flag will race in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf Gr1 for a stake of US$2000000 over 1800m. Rhododendron won the Gr1 Prix De l’Opera in her last start on Arc day at Chantilly. A hot family at the moment, both Flying The Flag and Rhododendron’s juvenile sister Magical is a Gr2 winner and ran a whisker second to Happily in the Gr1 Moyglare Stakes.

Flying The Flag’s first crop of foals are on the ground and have impressed with their size and quality.

Seventh Heaven, a Gr1 Oaks winner who accounted for the great Found in one of her Gr1 victories, competes in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Gr1 for a stake of US$4000000 over 2400m.

She is a Galileo half-sister to Crusade, whose progeny have been racking up wins nationawide over the past month. Internationally travelled Seventh Heaven ran in the Arc behind Enable, and finished fourth in the Breeders Cup last year as well as second in the Gr1 Dubai Sheema Classic to the males.

Aidan O’Brien expressed his satisfaction after seeing his Breeders’ Cup contenders take to the track at Del Mar.

Aiden O’Brien said: “They all cantered on the track and they all seem to be fine. I think we’ve got chances of sorts wherever you look.”

O’Brien has enjoyed plenty of success at the Breeders’ Cup over the years, particularly in the Turf, which he has claimed a record six times.

He is paying his first visit to Del Mar, however, and is impressed with what he has seen. He said: “The track is what’s written on the tin. It’s a lovely place to be, for both people and horses.
“We have a big team and as always we are hoping for the best.”

-extract irishtimes.com

Flying The Flag’s youngest full sister Magical, will be looking to emulate her older full sisters race record after being entered to run in the Gr1 Fillies Mile tomorrow.

Magical has already won the Gr2 Debutante – won by Rhododendron in the previous year, and is Gr1 placed twice since then – in the Moyglare by the finest of margins.

Rhododendron is now holds two Gr1 wins to her name – the first the Gr1 Fillies Mile and more recently in France, after securing the Gr1 Prix Des L’Opera on Arc day. Magical finished fourth on the day in her Gr1 after encountering traffic problems.

Rhododendron was crowned Cartier Champion 2YO Filly in Ireland and her younger sister looks to be following in her footsteps.

Flying The Flag has been all the rage this season with his family frequenting the international news and his first crop of foals impressing breeders country wide.

The son of Galileo out of a five-time Gr1 winning Pivotal mare stands for a fee of R20 000 this season at Bush Hill Stud.

In doing so she underlined just what the whole of Chantilly had seen for themselves three-quarters of an hour earlier: namely the towering task facing any horse going up against Enable, her conqueror in the Oaks in June, when Rhododendron started odds-on.

Seamie Heffernan was the beneficiary of Ryan Moore’s decision to ride Hydrangea and summed up what many had thought before that coming out party for John Gosden’s filly at Epsom.

“I rode her a bit in the spring and I had her down as nearly being our number one,” said Heffernan, who drove Rhododendron out to win by a head, with two further necks back to Lady Frankel and Wuheida in third and fourth.

“She ran really well in an English Guineas and in an Oaks. We know why we got beaten now because the winner won again today. She just felt good throughout the race today so I always felt in the last furlong I had a little bit to get to the winning post.”

While Rhododendron’s success paid obvious homage to Enable, the Ballydoyle team deserve every bit of credit going for getting Rhododendron back to the top of her game.

Sixteen days after her Oaks defeat she was well fancied to gain Classic compensation here in the Prix de Diane but, on a red-hot June day was pulled up just after halfway by Ryan Moore after suffering a serious burst blood vessel.

O’Brien, for whom this was a 22nd top-level success of the year, with Bobby Frankel’s record 25 firmly in his sights, said: “She is a special filly. She had a bad day the last day she was here and was stopped for a long time after that, six weeks or so.

“Padraig [Beggy] rode her at Leopardstown and gave her an absolute peach, a loverly ride. It was her first run back after a bad experience.”

Rhododendron could be on her travels to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf. Paddy Power made the winner 7-2 (from 8) for that contest next month, while Hydrangea may also make the trip to Del Mar.

“We thought that Rhododendron couldn’t get beat in the Oaks and she ran into Enable,” said O’Brien. “Probably a mile and a quarter would be more her trip than a mile and a half.

O’Brien frequently name-checks his staff after a major victory, and in these circumstances it was particularly merited. He said: “The lads did a great job to get her back – Jamie, who looks after her, and Michael, who rides her every day, so credit to them really.”

Flying The Flag, whose juvenile Gr2 winning sister Magical didnt disgrace herself in a Gr1 on the same race card after encountering plenty of traffic problems, finished in a closely contested race just noses apart for fourth place.

The family that includes American Gr1 winning daughter of Galileo, Photo Call, is on fire at the moment for the team at Bush Hill Stud who stand the handsome Flying The Flag.

Warwick Render comments that he is pleased that the breeders who sent mares in the first year for Flying The Flag have all rebooked for the season.

“All the breeders who supported him previously are booking mares back on the strength of the quality of his foals and the continued exciting activity in the family.”

His service fee is R20 000 this season and his foals impressive with plenty of bone, quality and substance.

– extract racingpost.com

Its always good news when a stallion has a sibling entered for a Gr1, but to have two full sisters on one of the worlds most exclusive race days is certainly an astounding achievement in itself.

Flying The Flag’s Group winning full sisters – Rhododendron and the youngest Magical – will be competing in France on the day of the Arc De Triomphe.

Rhododendron, named Irelands Champion 2YO Filly in the previous season and a Gr1 winner, will contest the Prix de Lópera over 2000m for a stake of 400 000 Euros, whilst juvenile Magical, a recent winner of the Gr2 Debutante and second in a recent Irish Gr1 by a head to Happily, a horse she defeated in her Gr2 victory, will line up at the start of the Prix Marcel Boussac over 1600m.

Both Galileo fillies out of five time Gr1 winning Pivotal mare Halfway To Heaven, are trained by maestro Aiden O’Brien. Flying The Flag is a Group winner himself and placed at the Group Levels in both Europe and Dubai, as well as South Africa.

Flying The Flag’s first foals are arriving this season and they are of outstanding quality, with plenty of strength and muscle, substance and bone.

The chestnut son of Galileo stands at Bush Hill Stud for a fee of R20 000 this season.

Aidan O’Brien won the Group 2 Debutante Stakes for the 12th time. Despite September and Happily dominating the betting, it was their stablemate Magical, ridden by Donnacha O’Brien, who ran out the winner of the contest.

Magical, a winner of a Cork maiden on her previous start, was sent off in front by O’Brien on the rain-softened ground, with Gr3 winner Happily, the choice of Ryan Moore, sitting just off her.

Chesham winner September, who was the subject of late money and was sent off 11-10 favourite, was struggling from two furlongs out, where Happily, the 6-4 second favourite, was also coming under pressure.

Magical, meanwhile, was travelling much more sweetly as O’Brien sent her away from her rivals to win by one and a quarter lengths from Happily, with Mary Tudor, who had run Magical to a head when making her debut at Cork, the same distance back in third. September was three-quarters of a length away in fourth.

The winner is a sister to Fillies’ Mile winner and 1,000 Guineas and Oaks runner-up Rhododendron, who won the Debutante a year ago.

O’Brien suggested a rematch could be on the cards for the three fillies, with next month’s Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes on the radar.

He said: “That went very well for Magical. She was green and made quite hard work of it to win her maiden at Cork, but she travelled very well in front today.

“Donnacha didn’t go mad on her and she’s won well. She’s out of a Pivotal mare and that probably helped her on the ground. She got the trip well and went to the line well – she should stay further.

Magical is now second favourite at 10-1 (from 25) for the Qipco 1,000 Guineas and market leader for the Investec Oaks.

Galileo full brother Flying The Flag, standing at Bush Hill Stud, has his first foals arriving this season. Warwick Render reports that “we have had great reports on his first foals from all around the country.”

A three time winner over 1400m and up, Flying The Flag was a Gr3 winner at three, Gr1 placed in Dubai, Gr2 runner-up at 2, and competed in French 2000 Guineas, Irish 2000 Guineas and Epsom Derby. He is Timeform Rated at 115.

His dam Halfway To Heaven won three Gr1’s including the Gr1 Irish One Thousand Guineas, Gr1 Nassau Stakes, and Gr1 Sun Chariot Stakes.

The immediate family has not only produced Gr1 winning and Cartier Juvenile Filly Rhodododendron, has also produced American dual Gr1 winner by Galileo and a $3 million dollar Keeneland broodmare prospect, Photo Call. Photo Call shares a second dam – the speedy Cassandra Go – with Flying The Flag.

Flying The Flag stands for a fee of R20 000 this season.

]]> https://kznbreeders.co.za/news/magical-bolsters-flying-the-flag-pedigree-with-gr2-win/feed/ 0 https://kznbreeders.co.za/news/flying-flag-2yo-full-sister-magical-wins-debut/ https://kznbreeders.co.za/news/flying-flag-2yo-full-sister-magical-wins-debut/#respond Thu, 10 Aug 2017 10:44:46 +0000 http://kznbreeders.co.za/?p=6896

Magical, a 2YO sister to Gr1 Fillies’ Mile winner and English 1,000 Guineas & English Oaks placegetter Rhododendron and Bush Hill Stud’s resident sire Flying The Flag, got off the mark when scoring by a head over Mary Tudor & Active Approach in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden (8 furlongs) at Cork in Ireland on Tuesday.

“She was going to go to Goodwood during the week, but it got very bad there,” Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien said. “She is babyish and green still and won’t mind anything from seven to a mile.”

Magical, Flying The Flag and Rhododendron are both by Galileo out of the Pivotal mare Halfway To Heaven, winner of the Gr1 Nassau Stakes, Gr1 Irish One Thousand Guineas, and Gr1 Sun Chariot Stakes.

This is also the family of former West Australian shuttler Verglas (IRE).

International Group winner and globe-trotter Flying The Flag will have his first foals on the ground this season. Flying The Flag is also closely related to dual Gr1 winner Photo Call Photo Call (also by Galileo out of Theann – a daughter of Flying The Flag’s second dam Cassandra Go), a $3million purchase in 2015 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale.

Mares due to foal to Flying The Flag include the dam of Gr1 placed Misty Burnam (herself by Verglas), sisters to Jet Master and Vercingetorix, Plutonium (the dam of Orion Quest, Stella Mia and King Neptune) and Graded Stakes producing mares Look Sharp (The Mouseketeer), Clock The Rock (Irish Flame), Ananova (Bezanova) to name but a few.

Flying The Flag stands at Bush Hill Stud for  a fee of R20 000 this season.

– extract www.breedingracing.com