Galileo’s Flag of Honour Salutes in the Irish St Leger

[Wandering Eyes]

   Flag of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) closed his four-race juvenile season with a victory in Leopardstown’s Oct. 28 G3 Eyrefield S., but was winless in the first three starts of this campaign. Third in ParisLongchamp’s Apr. 15 G3 Prix Noailles, he dropped to fifth in the May 9 G3 Chester Vase before finishing approximately five lengths behind Study of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) when a close-up 10th in Chantilly’s June 3 G1 Prix du Jockey Club in his penultimate start. The bay went to post for Sunday’s G1 Comer Group International Irish St Leger at The Curragh returning off a course-and-distance score in the July 1 G2 Curragh Cup and was sent forward to lead from the outset of the marathon contest. Stoked up off the home turn, the 2-1 market leader maintained a relentless tempo under forceful urging inside the final quarter mile to hit the line 2 3/4 lengths in advance of G1 Irish Derby hero Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) with Weekender (GB) (Frankel {GB}) 1 3/4 lengths back in third.

   Flag of Honour, full-brother to the hitherto unraced 2-year-old filly Four Leaf Clover (Ire), is one of 12 winners from as many runners and becomes the leading representative out of a winning half-sister to three black-type performers headed by G3 Prix Fille de l’Air victress Afaf (Fr) (Spectrum (Ire) and MSW G3 Prix d’Hedouville runner-up Zack Hall (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}). He is also kin to G1 Phoenix S. runner-up and GSW sire Air Chief Marshal (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), MSW sire Misu Bond (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up Foxtrot Romeo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

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