The victory of Auguste Rodin in last weekend’s Gr1 Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes no doubt delighted former TBA Chairman Advocate Altus Joubert, for the simple reason that he stands the colt’s close relative Flying The Flag at his Riethuiskraal Stud.
Handsome lad! Flying The Flag (Pic: Candiese Lenferna)
Now a four-time Gr1 winner, Auguste Rodin is the first foal of Galileo’s splendid daughter Rhododendron, an own sister to Flying The Flag. She was a triple Gr1 winner, while their sibling, the wonderful Magical, counted no less than two renewals of the Irish Champion Stakes amongst her seven top level wins.
Albeit that he never reached the same lofty heights, Flying The Flag was no slouch either.
Trained like his siblings and nephew by Irish supremo Aidan O’Brien, the chestnut was runner-up in the Gr2 Futurity Stakes at two and won the Gr3 International Stakes at three before his sale and transfer to Mike de Kock’s Dubai stable.
Flying The Flag scored once more and finished fourth in the Gr1 Jebel Hatta. Sent to South Africa, his best local effort for co-owners Mary Slack, the late Michael Javett and Mauritzfontein Stud was a third in the Gr3 London News Stakes.
With his credentials, a stallion career was always a given for Flying The Flag and he duly retired to Bush Hill Stud in the KZN Midlands. Sadly, his progeny failed to set the world alight and his popularity dwindled accordingly.
Step in Advocate Joubert, who was no doubt swayed by Flying The Flag’s spectacular female line and the horse made the move to Riethuiskraal in 2022.
Fortune favours the bold and this year, Flying The Flag celebrated his first South African stakes success as a stallion when sophomore son Strawberry Bear claimed the notable scalp of champion Cousin Casey in the Gr3 Byerley Turk Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
The striking grey closed out his three-year-old campaign on a winning note in the KZN Breeders 1600. According to his trainer Mike Miller, “he’s chilling at the moment, enjoying a proper break after a hard season and will probably return in a couple of months’ time.”
For the pedigree pundits out there, Strawberry Bear is out of Now You See Her, a placed daughter of Captain Al, from the family of champion sprinter Nhlavini.
Strawberry Bear digs deep under Tristan Godden as Cousin Casey chases in the Gr3 Byerley Turk (Pic: Candiese Lenferna)
As a matter of interest, Strawberry Bear is actually his sire’s second stakes winner, the first being Zimbabwe-raced daughter Tigers Dream. Bred by Wilgerbosdrift & Mauritzfontein, she proved herself one of that country’s leading three-year-olds, winning the Zimbabwe Derby and finishing third in both the Oaks and Zimbabwe 2000.
Remarkably, she is bred on similar lines as Strawberry Bear, her dam Neck Of The Woods being by Al Mufti, the sire of Captain Al. In addition, her grandam the dual Gr1 winner Dog Wood, is by Fort Wood, which makes her inbred to Sadler’s Wells.
Speaking of Sadler’s Wells, he is also the damsire of former Riethuiskraal resident Imperial Stride. A well-performed Gr2 winner, he happens to be a son of was Indian Ridge, sire also of Cassandra Go, the grandam of Flying The Flag.
A sprinter of note and a winner of Royal Ascot’s King’s Stand Stakes, she has become a blue hen in her own right and is also ancestress of O’Brien-trained Gr1 Breeders Cup Juvenile Stakes winner Victoria Road and of Photo Call, a dual Gr1 winning daughter of Galileo.
By the way, Cassandra Go’s stakes-placed full brother Grey Eminence also stood in South Africa. From limited opportunity, he sired Gr3 winner Madrisa and Mauritian Horse of the Year The Cardinal and also features as the broodmare sire of the stakes winners Mill Queen, News Stream and Chere For Me.
Flying The Flag has for all intents and purposes become a private stallion and finds himself very much on the back foot, given that he will have few representatives on the track in the coming seasons. Be that as it may, we can look forward to the return of Strawberry Bear, as well as the smart Peter-trained Electric Gold, who ran second in last season’s Gr3 London News Stakes and third in both the Gr2 Gauteng Guineas and Gr3 Jubilee Stakes.
Flying The Flag – now based at Riethuiskraal (Pic: Candiese Lenferna)
And let’s not forget We Are The Logans, who boosted his sire’s fortunes when chasing home subsequent champion Sandringham Summit and Main Defender in the Gr1 World Pool Moment of the Day Champion Stakes at the Gold Cup meeting.
Incidentally, Altus can feel a sense of pride, as he bred the colt’s grandam Crimson Palace. Successful in the Gr1 Paddock Stakes, she became a globetrotter of note and added an American Gr1 to her resume when successful in the Beverly D Stakes. As a matter of fact, Way Of The World, a Var half-sister to We Are The Logans, carried Altus’s silks to victory in the Listed Syringa Handicap some seasons back.
For now though, Auguste Rodin looks set to build on the mushrooming legacy of this excellent family.
The prospect of soft ground at Longchamp and Ascot would likely rule out the Arc and Champion Stakes for this brilliant,if mercurial, colt and the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita looks the most likely option. Besides, as O’Brien remarked in his post-race comments, “The lads love the Breeders’ Cup, so that’s a strong possibility.”
