Poetic Flare surges late to win English 2000 Guineas

Jim Bolger sent out his first English 2000 Guineas winner in 2013, Dawn Approach, and on Saturday he took down his second Guineas when Poetic Flare won a desperate photo over Godolphin’s Master of the Seas.

The tight photo came loaded with plenty of history. Bolger is a master Irish horseman not just as a trainer, but as a breeder and owner, too. Bolger bred and owned Dawn Approach before Godolphin bought a majority share in the colt on the basis of excellent 2-year-old form in 2012. Dawn Approach wore the Godolphin blue winning his Guineas but on Saturday, Poetic Flare, a son of Dawn Approach, beat the Godolphin horse by a nose, jockey Kevin Manning wearing the colors of Jackie Bolger, Jim Bolger’s wife. Bolger bred Poetic Flare mating Dawn Approach to his mare, Maria Lee, by Rock of Gibraltar.

Master of the Seas, with William Buick up for trainer Charlie Appleby, appeared to have the one-mile, straight course Guineas won before Poetic Flare’s final surge carried him to victory. Lucky Vega was right there, too, a neck behind Master of the Seas, as many of the shorter prices ran poor races over good-to-firm going Saturday. Thunder Moon, mildly favored, was the worst of them, never coming close to reaching contention making his 3-year-old bow and checking in last of 14. One place in front of him came Battleground, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up who had decent mid-race position but zero late kick. Wembley was 11th at odds of 6-1, while well-regarded Mutasaabeq finished a tame seventh.

Poetic Flare might not be a horse for the Derby but could fit a race like the one-turn-mile St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.