MG1SW U S Navy Flag (War Front) is the European champion 2-year-old following the unveiling of the European 2-year-old Thoroughbred Classifications in London on Tuesday. Rated 122, he is the 10th European Juvenile Champion trained by maestro Aidan O'Brien and the first horse since Diesis (GB) (Sharpen Up {GB}) in 1982 to win both the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. and the G1 Darley Dewhurst S.
Plying his trade from May 1 to the first week of November in 11 starts, the Coolmore colourbearer ran third at third asking in the Listed Marble Hill S. at the end of May, but got off the mark two starts later in a maiden at The Curragh on June 1. Runner-up to Cardsharp (GB) (Lonhro {Aus}) (111) in the G2 Arqana July S. on July 13, the bay was back with a fourth behind stablemate Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy) (115) exactly a month later in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. He romped by six lengths in the G3 Plusvital Round Tower S. at The Curragh in yielding ground on Aug. 27 and gained Group 1 glory in the Middle Park S. at the end of September. The Dewhurst S. marked his third win in a row on Oct. 14, before he ended his season unplaced at Del Mar in the GI Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile in November, his first start beyond seven furlongs.
“The motto of the US Navy is Semper Fortis (Always Courageous) and it would be difficult to think of a more apt description than that for U S Navy Flag,” said Mark Bird, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board Handicapper and delegate at the European 2-year-old meeting. “The redoubtable colt saw the most racecourse action as a 2-year-old of any of the 44 European juvenile champions and joint-champions dating back to 1978. Although he ranks toward the lower end of the scale in terms of previous champions, there was no shortage of quality in some of his efforts and he emerged to put in the season's defining juvenile performance, in landing his second Group 1, the Dewhurst in record time.”
Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore triumvirate doubled down on juvenile champions, as the were also represented by the European Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), rated 115. O'Brien has also achieved this notable double in 2005, 2011, and 2015. The full-sister to last year's European Champion Juvenile and subsequent dual Guineas hero has won three in a row from five starts, including the G3 Grangecon Stud S. in July and the G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. later that month. She progressed to capture the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket to sign off her juvenile season on Sept. 30.
“Clemmie rather broke the mould in becoming Galileo's first Group 1 winner at six furlongs from his 13 crops of racing age,” said Graeme Smith, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) Handicapper. “She headed a slightly substandard group of fillies with a figure of 115, but she's a sister to the 2016 Champion 2-year-old and 2017 QIPCO 2000 Guineas winner, Churchill, and both her pedigree and performances suggest she'll improve further when given her chance at the Guineas trip.”
Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) ranks second in the 2-year-old classifications at 119 off a win in the G1 Racing Post Trophy–also for the O'Brien/Coolmore axis–while Britain was represented by Qatar Racing's Roaring Lion (Kitten's Joy) (118) and Juddmonte's Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) (117). The next highest filly in the classifications after Clemmie is Godolphin's Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) (114) who won the G1 Total Prix Marcel Boussac-Criterium des Pouliches on Oct. 1.
The full list of 2-year-old classifications can be found here.
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