Jim Bolger

There were only six runners in Leopardstown's nine-furlong G3 Eyrefield S. on Saturday, but more than a minor share of drama as the Ennistown Stud homebred Speirling Beag (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}--Starscape {Ire}, by Cape Cross {Ire}) prevailed in a renewal marked by an early-straight incident. Held up in rear by Rory Cleary after a tardy start, the Jim Bolger-trained chestnut who had been third a fortnight earlier in The Curragh's G3 Staffordstown Stud S. over a mile had to swing four-wide into the home turn as the Ballydoyle trio got...

Sophomore filly Freedom Of Speech (Ire) (Australia {GB}) (lot 3), a winner at two and third in the G3 Park Express S. this year, sold to Bobby O'Ryan for €140,000 during the Goffs Champions Sale on Saturday. Consigned by Jim Bolger's Glebe House Stables, the daughter of the winning Vocal Nation (Ire) was the only one of four catalogued lots to change hands prior to the start of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend at Leopardstown. Her third dam is the stakes winner, GI Ladies' H. third and Grade I producer...

They have reached dizzy heights as breeders and now Gillian and Vimal Khosla are concentrating on achieving big-race success as owners with Fennela (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), a daughter of their outstanding broodmare Green Room (Theatrical {Ire}), in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks. The Khoslas know a thing or two about breeding top-notchers. Green Room is the dam of three Group 1 or Classic winners and the owner-breeders behind the 20-year-old blue hen are hoping there is still more to come.  Lord Shanakill (Speightstown) was the first horse to...

The Hurling for Cancer charity match, the brainchild of legendary trainer Jim Bolger, will return to St Conleth's Park, Newbridge, County Kildare on Aug. 16, with a number of sporting and television stars committed to play in the 10th renewal. Bolger and dual Aintree Grand National-winning jockey Davy Russell will bring a host of household names together to take part in the celebrity hurling match, all in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.  Kilkenny's TJ Reid, Richie Hogan and Tommy Walsh, Limerick brothers Tom and Dan Morrissey, Wexford's Damien Fitzhenry...

Two legends of Irish racing will join forces for the first time this season after Jim Bolger revealed that he has a 2-year-old filly by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire) in training with Kevin Prendergast. Bolger gave €31,000 for the recently named Roman Moon (Ire) after Prendergast recommended the filly at the Goffs Orby Sale last September and she is set to break new ground by becoming his first runner with the Friarstown operator. Roman Moon will carry the white and purple colours of Bolger's wife Jackie, once carried to major...

One of only two unraced 3-year-old colts still holding a 2000 Guineas entry, Jim Bolger's homebred Wexford Native (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) demonstrated why with a taking success at Navan on Tuesday to earn TDN Rising Star status. Drawn widest in 21, the 5-1 shot was keen for Kevin Manning tracking over to eventually shadow Ballydoyle's forward-ridden Sun King (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). As that 7-4 favourite turned the screw in the straight, Wexford Native kept tabs and after edging ahead two out strode out impressively to beat that rival by 2...

As he prepares his runners for the upcoming flat season, Jim Bolger is also keeping a watchful eye on his breeding stock. The master trainer may be juggling the education of his runners with the oversight of his broodmares and youngstock, but Bolger has proven mighty adept at this kind of multi-tasking in the past: as has been well-documented, Bolger breeds many of his own runners, often going back two or three generations on both the top and bottom of the pedigree. His 2021 G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St...

Last year's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) has been turned out since running in the G1 Hong Kong Cup in December and will return to training next week, trainer, owner and breeder Jim Bolger told the TDN. The 4-year-old, who also won the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy and G2 Futurity S. at two, trailed in last of 12 at Sha Tin. "He didn't run well in Hong Kong and we don't know the reason for it," Bolger said. Mac Swiney's four career wins have...

Jockey Kevin Manning suffered a broken collarbone in a fall at Galway on Monday. The 54-year-old rider, whose regular mounts this season have included the Classic-winning Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) and Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) for his father-in-law Jim Bolger, sustained the injury when his mount, Dublin Journal (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), slipped up after a furlong of the Galway Handicap. Dublin Journal also races as a homebred for Bolger and his wife, Jackie. "He's broken his collarbone, but it's a straight-forward break, so it shouldn't be...

Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}--Maria Lee {Ire}, by Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), the top-rated 3-year-old miler of 2021, has been retired from racing and will stand at Shadai Stallion Station in Japan from next year. Winner of the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S., the colt has provided his master trainer Jim Bolger with perhaps the pinnacle of his parallel career as a breeder, for he not only bred, owned and trained Poetic Flare's sire and fellow Classic winner Dawn Approach, but he also trained his...

Classic winner Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) will skip an intended start in Sunday's G1 Prix du Moulin and instead line up in the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 11, trainer Jim Bolger revealed on the Nick Luck Daily Podcast. It will mark the first time the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. hero will try a distance beyond a mile. Since his Royal Ascot win in the St James's Palace S., the Bolger homebred was runner-up in the G1 Qatar Sussex...

At his best when the ground is on the quick side, Jim Bolger's G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) has to deal with a testing surface as he faces up to his first test against the fillies and older horses in Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex S. Only sixth on very soft in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp May 16 and a short-head second to Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) on soft-to-heavy in the G1 Irish 2000...