A homebred for legendary breeder and trainer Jim Bolger, Dawn Approach colt Poetic Flare denied the might of Godolphin to win the Group I Newmarket 2,000 Guineas (1m) overnight defeating their entry Master of Seas (Dubawi) with Yulong owned Lucky Vega (Lope de Vega) in third place.
Ridden by Jim Bolger’s son-in-law Kevin Manning, Poetic Flare scored a short head win with less than half a length separating the top three colts.
It was the fourth win from five starts for Poetic Flare following a successful juvenile season that saw him win the Group III Killavullan Stakes.
“It's a great training performance, he's done nothing wrong all along this horse and was impressive in the Guineas Trial at Leopardstown,” said winning rider Kevin Manning.
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I knew Poetic Flare had come forward from then and I made no secret that I fancied him. He's just a proper horse, I really thought that he would win today.
“I'm not sure (whether he will stay 1m4f), he was a little bit keen with me today for the first furlong or two. I'll sit down with Jim and have a chat but I can't see why he won't stay a mile and a quarter.”
Both his sire Dawn Approach and grand-sire New Approach were trained by Bolger, who has also enjoyed success with Poetic Flare’s three-quarter sister Glamorous Approach, a Group placed multiple stakes-winner by New Approach.
Poetic Flare is the best of four winners from Rock of Gibraltar mare Maria Lee, who comes from the family of another Bolger bred and trained champion Teofilo.
He becomes the first Group I winner for Dawn Approach who has sired 14 stakes-winners in total, six of them bred here in the Southern Hemisphere.
Dawn Approach shuttled to Darley Australia for the last time in 2018 and his last crop of 23 Australian foals are yearlings.
