Horny Harry
27-05-2002, 19:29
FIREBOLT
Flying Spur sires his fourth G1 winner
Arrowfield stallion Flying Spur has capped of an amazing month with a Group One winner in Hong Kong on the weekend. Firebolt, a product of his Northern Hemisphere sojourn at the Irish National Stud, took all before him to beat the best sprinters in Hong Kong and take the Centenary Sprint Cup (HKGr.1-1000m).
Up on the pace under Frankie Dettori, Firebolt struck the lead with a little over 200 metres to run and was always holding the David Hayes trained duo of All Thrills Too and Charming City, by three-quarters of a length and a head. To put the run into context, Firebolt was beating All Thrills Too, who finished a neck third in the Hong Kong Sprint to Falvelon, an international Group 2, last December and Charming City, who won the opening leg of the Sprint Series, the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (HKGr.1-1000m) last month.
Trainer Ivan Allan later noted that he had long coveted the son of Flying Spur, formerly known as Volata when trained in Great Britain by Mark Tompkins. "I had been after this fellow for a while and he only arrived with me in November. I don't think he has fully acclimatised to Hong Kong yet but he was in good form and was entitled to run today," Allan said, adding that the four-year-old gelding was likely to improve for the run. Firebolt is next expected to contest the third leg of the Sprint Series, the Chairman's Sprint Prize (HKGr.1-1200m).
With his oldest progeny just four year olds, the win of Firebolt brings Flying Spur’s Group One winners to four. He is also the sire of the Classic winner All Time High, The Champion 2YO Colt of New Zealand San Luis, and the dual Group One winning two year old Juanmo.
“There is no doubt that he had a slow patch of stakes performers in the late spring and early summer but he has really come back with a vengeance recently. Spurn and Make Me a Miracle who are both older horses won their stakes races in the last month and the success of Firebolt now opens up the Hong Kong market to the progeny of Flying Spur,” said Arrowfield’s Managing Director John Messara.
Flying Spur sires his fourth G1 winner
Arrowfield stallion Flying Spur has capped of an amazing month with a Group One winner in Hong Kong on the weekend. Firebolt, a product of his Northern Hemisphere sojourn at the Irish National Stud, took all before him to beat the best sprinters in Hong Kong and take the Centenary Sprint Cup (HKGr.1-1000m).
Up on the pace under Frankie Dettori, Firebolt struck the lead with a little over 200 metres to run and was always holding the David Hayes trained duo of All Thrills Too and Charming City, by three-quarters of a length and a head. To put the run into context, Firebolt was beating All Thrills Too, who finished a neck third in the Hong Kong Sprint to Falvelon, an international Group 2, last December and Charming City, who won the opening leg of the Sprint Series, the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (HKGr.1-1000m) last month.
Trainer Ivan Allan later noted that he had long coveted the son of Flying Spur, formerly known as Volata when trained in Great Britain by Mark Tompkins. "I had been after this fellow for a while and he only arrived with me in November. I don't think he has fully acclimatised to Hong Kong yet but he was in good form and was entitled to run today," Allan said, adding that the four-year-old gelding was likely to improve for the run. Firebolt is next expected to contest the third leg of the Sprint Series, the Chairman's Sprint Prize (HKGr.1-1200m).
With his oldest progeny just four year olds, the win of Firebolt brings Flying Spur’s Group One winners to four. He is also the sire of the Classic winner All Time High, The Champion 2YO Colt of New Zealand San Luis, and the dual Group One winning two year old Juanmo.
“There is no doubt that he had a slow patch of stakes performers in the late spring and early summer but he has really come back with a vengeance recently. Spurn and Make Me a Miracle who are both older horses won their stakes races in the last month and the success of Firebolt now opens up the Hong Kong market to the progeny of Flying Spur,” said Arrowfield’s Managing Director John Messara.