Flares (foaled 1933 in Maryland) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse owned, bred, and raced by the preeminent horseman in the United States, William Woodward Sr. Flares was out of the racemare Flambino, winner of the 1927 Gazelle Stakes. His sire was the great Gallant Fox, the 1930 U.S. Triple Crown winner and a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee.
| Flares | |
|---|---|
| Sire | Gallant Fox |
| Grandsire | Sir Gallahad III |
| Dam | Flambino |
| Damsire | Wrack |
| Sex | Stallion |
| Foaled | 1933 |
| Country | United States |
| Colour | Bay |
| Breeder | Belair Stud |
| Owner | William Woodward Sr. |
| Trainer | Cecil Boyd-Rochfort |
| Record | 20: 8-?-? |
| Earnings | £18,506 |
| Major wins | |
| Newmarket Stakes (1936) Champion Stakes (1937) Lowther Stakes (1937) Princess of Wales's Stakes (1937) Ascot Gold Cup (1938) | |
Flares was a full brother to Woodward's 1935 U.S. Triple Crown champion, Omaha. Determined to win England's most prestigious weight-for-age race, the Ascot Gold Cup, in 1936 Woodward sent the then four-year-old Omaha to compete in England, where he ran second in the Ascot Gold Cup.
When Flares was a yearling in 1934, Woodward shipped him to trainer Cecil Boyd-Rochfort at his base in Newmarket, England. Racing at age three, in mid-May 1936 Flares won the Newmarket Stakes.[1] In 1937, he had an outstanding year as a four-year-old. At Newmarket Racecourse, he won the mile and a half Princess of Wales's Stakes,[2] the Champion Stakes at a mile and a quarter,[3] and the Lowther Stakes at a mile and three quarters.[4]
In 1938, Flares was entered in the Ascot Gold Cup and was sent off by bettors as a 100 to 7 longshot. However, he became the first American horse since Foxhall in 1882 to win the prestigious two and a half mile race and gave William Woodward his first-ever victory in the event.[5]
Stud record
editImmediately after his Gold Cup win, Flares was brought back to stand at stud in the United States. The October 14, 1938, issue of the Los Angeles Times reported he would stand for a fee of US$1,000. [1]
Flares sired a number of race winners, including:
- Chop Chop (b. 1940) - won Empire City Handicap. Leading sire in Canada five times. Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee.
- Skytracer (b. 1941) - winner of the 1944 Blue Grass Stakes, Kentucky Derby runner
- Epigram (b. 1949) - in 1952, he won Canada's most prestigious race, the Queen's Plate. [2]
Pedigree
edit| Sire Gallant Fox |
Sir Gallahad III | Teddy | Ajax |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rondeau | |||
| Plucky Liege | Spearmint | ||
| Concertina | |||
| Marguerite | Celt | Commando | |
| Maid of Erin | |||
| Fairy Ray | Radium | ||
| Seraph | |||
| Dam Flambino |
Wrack | Robert Le Diable | Ayrshire |
| Rose Bay | |||
| Samphire | Isinglass | ||
| Chelandry | |||
| Flambette | Durbar | Rabelais | |
| Armenia | |||
| La Flambee | Ajax | ||
| Medeah |
References
edit- ^ "NEWMARKET RACE IS WON BY FLARES; Woodward Horse, Full Brother to Omaha, Beats Fearless Fox by Margin of Head. WINNER HELD AT 100-7. Lord Carnarvon's His Grace Is Third Over Mile and a Quarter Route". The New York Times. 14 May 1936.
- ^ "FLARES WINS IN ENGLAND; Woodward's Entry Is Victor In the Princess of Wales Stakes". The New York Times. 2 July 1937.
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=rRE1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=uKULAAAAIBAJ&pg=3223,5028934&dq=flares champion stakes&hl=en [dead link]
- ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oxE1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=uKULAAAAIBAJ&pg=5616,2602817&dq=flares lowther stakes newmarket&hl=en [dead link]
- ^ "The Glasgow Herald - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com.