Guineas Hero Poetic Flare Retired, to Stand in Japan
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Photo: Edward Whitaker/Racing Post
Poetic Flare wins the St. James's Palace Stakes at Ascot Racecourse
Poetic Flare , winner of the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1) and St. James's Palace Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, has been retired from racing to stand at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan from next year.
The 3-year-old was a notable absentee at the five-day confirmation stage for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Sponsored by QIPCO (G1) at Ascot on Saturday.
Jim Bolger's homebred, who ran in the colors of the trainer's wife Jackie, won five of his 11 races and earned more than £1 million (US$1,435,423) in prize money. He joins 31 other stallions on the island of Hokkaido.
Poetic Flare after his Two Thousand Guineas success at Newmarket
Bolger told Thoroughbred Daily News: "I'm sure many racegoers will be disappointed not to see him at Ascot, and I am disappointed myself that he is not going there, but it was not possible. He will be standing at Shadai and will be leaving soon for Japan."
Lightly raced as a 2-year-old, Poetic Flare won his maiden at Naas on his debut before finishing down the field in the Darley Dewhurst (G1) at Newmarket on his second start. He bounced back to end his season on a high by landing the Killavullan Stakes (G3) at Leopardstown.
A return to Leopardstown then kick-started a remarkable season as a 3-year-old, with Poetic Flare winning the listed Ballylinch Stud Red Rocks Two Thousand Guineas Trial Stakes before landing the Two Thousand Guineas at odds of 16-1 when edging out Master of The Seas by a short head on Newmarket's Rowley Mile.
Poetic Flare first demonstrated his remarkable durability when he bounced back from a poor run in France to finish second in the Tattersalls Irish Two Thousand Guineas (G1) six days later, and he was then back to his brilliant best at Royal Ascot when delivering a joint career-best Racing Post Rating of 124 when cruising to a second group 1 success in the St. James's Palace Stakes.
He was similarly busy later in the summer, running big races in defeat in the Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1), the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (G1), and the Irish Champion Stakes (G1), in which his close third behind St Mark's Basilica and Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) runner-up Tarnawa proved to be his final run.