Making his first attempt for the Chad Brown barn, the globe-trotting Flintshire turned in an electrifying performance on the GI Belmont S. undercard to capture his fourth career Grade/Group 1 success.
A close second in the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita and winner of that year's G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase, Flintshire was second in the 2015 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic and filled the same spot behind the mighty Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) in the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud last June before putting on a show in Saratoga's GI Sword Dancer S. Following a second straight runner-up effort in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Flintshire had to settle for second while attempting to defend his title in the Hong Kong Vase, his final attempt for Andre Fabre.
The Juddmonte homebred kept a close eye on the leaders from fifth in the Manhattan as World Approval showed the way through a half in :49.77 and six furlongs in 1:13.90. Extracted from a somewhat tight spot between horses on the turn, he moved to the front willingly and unleashed a jaw-dropping turn of foot in the stretch to capture Juddmonte's third Manhattan trophy. Ironicus rallied along the inside to finish a good second. According to Trakus data, Flintshire clocked his final quarter in a blistering :21.50 over the very firm going.
“First of all, many thanks to Prince Khalid bin Abdullah, for trusting me and my staff with such a remarkable racehorse. He is special,” said Brown after saddling his fourth Manhattan winner in the last five years. “We're just trying to get him into our program, make sure he adapts okay and he doesn't change for the worse, which he hasn't. He has an indescribable amount of class. He's so intelligent. He picks things up at light speed, oozes class and is a privilege to work with every day.”
Flintsire fired a best of five-furlong move in 1:00 3/5 (1/18) over the Belmont lawn June 4. He joined Brown's operation back in March.
“This race wasn't our first pick,” Brown revealed. “He just dragged us to this race with his training in the morning. So sharp work after work. I can't leave him in the barn for a million bucks when he's just a couple of hundred yards from here.”
As for what's next Brown added, “There are no immediate plans. Obviously, the goal is to take down that race [GI Breeders' Cup Turf] at Santa Anita at the end of the year. How we get there–there is more than one way to do that.”
Saturday, Belmont
WOODFORD RESERVE MANHATTAN S.-GI, $1,000,000, BEL, 6-11, 4yo/up, 1 1/4mT, 1:58.92, fm.
1–FLINTSHIRE (GB), 122, h, 6, by Dansili (GB)
1st Dam: Dance Routine (GB) (MGSW & G1SP-Fr., $217,781), by Sadler's Wells
2nd Dam: Apogee (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
3rd Dam: Bourbon Girl, by Ile de Bourbon
O/B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Javier
Castellano. $535,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-HK & Fr,
MG1SP-Eng, G1SP-UAE, 20-6-10-1, $8,124,910.
*Full to Dance Moves (GB), SW & GSP-Fr,
$240,969. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Ironicus, 122, h, 5, Distorted Humor–Meghan's Joy, by A.P.
Indy. O/B-Stuart S. Janney, III LLC (KY); T-Claude R. McGaughey
III. $185,000.
3--World Approval, 122, g, 4, Northern Afleet–Win Approval, by
With Approval. O-Live Oak Plantation; B-Live Oak Stud (FL);
T-Mark E. Casse. $100,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, HF. Odds: 0.70, 6.20, 13.00.
Also Ran: Grand Tito, Divisidero, Big Blue Kitten, Triple Threat (Fr), Slumber (GB), Oathkeeper. Scratched: Wake Forest (Ger), Take the Stand (Arg).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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