CARRY THE FLAG won at distances from 1400 metres to 2400 metres. In his two victories as a 2YO, he scored each time by 2½ lengths starting favourite in both and carried up to 9 stone 7 lbs (60.5Kg's). A foot injury restricted his classic quests at 3, but as a 4YO CARRY THE FLAG won two good middle distance handicaps in Great Britain - the Rosebery Handicap at Kempton (beating 19 other runners carrying 9 stone 6 lbs (60Kg's) - and the Coolmore Shergar Cup at Goodwood. The 4YO entire was then sold to prominent Singapore racing identity Tan Kim Leng and was transferred to former Victorian trainer Michael Kent's Singapore stables. The acquisition paid an immediate huge dividend with CARRY THE FLAG winding up his four-year-old season with one outing in Singapore, a remorseless win in a star studded field in the SG$1 million Singapore Gold Cup over 2,200 metres. He was some 8 lengths behind as the field turned for home but gradually wore down the leader, the Malcolm Thwaites trained star Ouzo, to win by a head. There was another two and a quarter lengths to the third placed Singapore Derby winner Par Excellence. Ouzo got his revenge for his loss to CARRY THE FLAG in the Gold Cup when they clashed in Singapore's richest race, the inaugural running of the SG$3 million Singapore Airlines International Cup, early the following year. Described as a "falsely run race" it was won by Ouzo by a neck from Jim and Tonic, the Hong Kong hero who just shaded third placed CARRY THE FLAG. Jim and Tonic defeated Sunline in the 1999 Hong Kong Cup.
Sire Line
CARRY THE FLAG carries a 4 x 3 cross of the immortal Northern Dancer. CARRY THE FLAG is by TENBY X CAERLEON X NIJINSKY X NORTHERN DANCER. Whilst Nijinsky and Northern Dancer need no introduction, let's briefly profile Tenby and Caerleon. Caerleon was born in the USA and raced in England and France where he was a multiple Group 1 winner and earned the title "Champion French 3YO". As a sire, Caerleon has been a huge success producing well over 100 stakes winners all over the world whose earnings exceed AU$100 million.
Caerleon was crowned "Champion UK Sire" (twice), "Champion UK Sire of 2YO's" (twice) and "Champion UK Sire" (by number of wins and individual winners) on one occasion. The best known progeny of Caerleon is undoubtedly the great galloper Generous who won the 1991 English and Irish Derbys and now stands in Japan - shuttling to New Zealand.
Tenby was a top class unbeaten Group 1 winning 2YO in Europe who also raced as a 3YO. Retired to stand in England, the progeny of Tenby were not even old enough to get to the races, before the Japanese, realizing his exceptional pedigree and racetrack performances bought him to stand in their country.
It is testament to the strength of the sire line of CARRY THE FLAG, that both his sire Tenby and his grandsire Caerleon were both sought to stand in Japan - known as the "hardest markers" of stallions anywhere in the world.
Dam Line
CARRY THE FLAG is but one of a long list of good winners from his family, one which goes back to a queen of world breeding in Chelandry, grandam of seven times champion Australian sire Heroic and of another leading sire here in the imported Magpie.
Much closer relations of note, however, are under CARRY THE FLAG's first two dams. To start with he is one of two Group One winners from Tamassos sharing this distinction with two-years older half-brother Posidonas, winner of the Group One Gran Premio d' Italia and two Group Two races in England, the Hardwicke Stakes and Princess of Wales's Stakes. Now at stud in Ireland, Posidonas's minor placings included seconds in Group One races in Germany and Italy and in the Hong Kong International Vase.
Tamassos, the dam of these two Group One winners, is a winning half-sister to the Nijinsky grandson Ile de Chypre, the best older horse in Europe (9½ furlongs - plus) in 1989, a year in which his front running tactics saw him land the Group One International Stakes at York and the Rogers Gold Cup at Curragh. He was a half length second in the Group One Coronation Cup at Epsom and a head and a short head third in the Group One Champion Stakes at Newmarket.
CARRY THE FLAG's grandam, the Welsh Pageant mare Salamina was a half-sister to the dams of Devir (Horse of the Year and leading sprinter in Turkey) and More Welsh (a Belgium Group One winner). On top of this another very high class performer in the family was the fourth dam Fairy Flax, a leading sprinter in England in 1953, a year in which she led all the way to take out Group One King's Stand Stakes and rolled subsequent speed sire Whistler in the King George Stakes at Goodwood.
Fairy Flax's big efforts in sprint races in 1953 were followed by a close relation, Never Say Die, collecting classic glory the following year, one in which he followed up a convincing win in the English Derby with an awesome 13 lengths victory in the St Leger. He was later recognised as a world class sire.
Never Say Die was out of Singing Grass, a three-quarter sister to Confetti, the fifth dam of CARRY THE FLAG. Confetti did not race but her half-sister Galatea won the English One Thousand Guineas and Oaks in 1939.
They are but a few notables in the branch of Chelandry which resulted in CARRY THE FLAG. Fifty years ago Chelandry was written up as one of the great tap roots of modern bloodstock the world over. At that time her descendants also included the English classic winners Saucy Sue (1000 Guineas, Oaks), Pogrom (Oaks), Book Law (St Leger) and Pay Up (2000 Guineas).
Since then there have been many other good winners and stud successes tracing to Chelandry including one of the most respected influences of this time Forty Niner (champion in America at two and a leading three-year-old) and his close relations Swale (champion at three successful in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes) and the good Nijinsky sire Shadeed (won the English 2000 Guineas and third in the Breeder's Cup Mile).
Progeny to Date CARRY THE FLAG (GB) stands his third season at Lyndhurst Stud in 2004-2005.
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