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Poetic Flare produced a performance of supreme brilliance to leave his rivals toiling in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Jim Bolger’s charge had won the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier in the season, run respectably in the French equivalent on soft ground and then been touched off by stablemate Mac Swiney in the Irish version.
As he had already won a Guineas trial before Newmarket he was having his fifth run of the season — and had obviously thrived for it.
Kevin Manning had the son of Dawn Approach in the box seat throughout and in truth the result never looked in any doubt as soon as he moved his partner into a challenging position.
The veteran rider waited until a furlong and a half out before pushing the button and the response was immediate. The 7-2 favourite shot clear and crossed the line four and a quarter lengths clear of Lucky Vega. Battleground ran on for third, with Maximal fourth.
Quotes for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood were quick to arrive and Betfair went 7-2 from 10-1.
Bolger told Sky Sports Racing from his County Carlow base: “I’m very relaxed about it. I have tremendous confidence in this horse and I was expecting him to go and do that. Thanks to all my staff and everybody who has helped.
“We always knew he was hardy from the word go, even when he was being broken in you couldn’t keep him quiet.
“We’ve bred from the family since the very early 1980s, so a long time.
“When you have a horse winning the St James’s Palace like that you don’t really think about all the relatives and the breeding, you wouldn’t care if he came to you off the back of a truck as long as you had him.
“This horse is so hardy he’s unbelievable, you have to give it to him to keep his back down.”
On plans, he added: “Kevin will be itching to have a crack at the older horses.”
Manning said: “He was probably better today than he has been all year.
“He travelled very well — I arrived there at the two-pole and couldn’t believe how well I was travelling and when I asked him he put it to bed very quickly.
“I wasn’t worried that he’d been busy, Jim was very happy with him and said he’d never had a horse leave the yard in the shape he was in and I thought that as well. With that sort of confidence behind me, I had no worries.
“I had a lovely position, everything went very smooth and when I switched him out he put the race to bed in a few strides.
“He’s very good, very smart. He handles every ground, but he’s obviously much pacier on this ground.
“It means everything to the guys at home in the yard to have a horse like this. I just turn up on the day and ride them.”
“To get this horse here after the runs he’s had is unbelievable.
“I owe Jim everything, and I’d also like to say ‘well done’ to all the lads in the yard who have kept this lad on the go.”
Lucky Vega once again found Poetic Flare too strong, just like at Newmarket and the Curragh, and he will now head to stud in Australia.
His trainer Jessica Harrington said: “He certainly proved he stayed every yard of the mile against a horse that has beaten him three times now.
“I think there will be an announcement in Australia and I will be very sad to lose him because in my opinion he would certainly have won a Group One if he’d remained here.”
Earlier Palace Pier justified odds-on favouritism in the Queen Anne Stakes to get Royal Ascot 2021 off to a perfect start for Frankie Dettori.
Winner of the St James’s Palace Stakes at the meeting 12 months ago in front of empty grandstands, John and Thady Gosden’s brilliant miler followed up in front of a crowd of 12,000 this time.
Racing slightly on the flank in the early stages, Dettori managed to get some cover behind Prince Eiji by halfway.

Palace Pier and Frankie Dettori took the opener at Royal Ascot. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA


Entering the final two furlongs, those who took the prohibitive 2-7 price about Palace Pier might have been a little concerned as Dettori got lower in the saddle to ask for his effort.
But while the winning move was not immediate, Palace Pier got into top gear with a furlong to run — and the race was over as he took two lengths out of the others.
He just had to be kept up to his work as Lope Y Fernandez emerged from the pack to claim second, a length and a half away, with Ascot specialist Sir Busker back in third.
Palace Pier’s only defeat remains on Champions Day last year at Ascot in the Queen Elizabeth II — when he lost a shoe in heavy ground.
Dettori said: “There wasn’t much pace in the race and I had him much further forward than usual.
“I stalked the pace, I had the leaders beat with a furlong and a half to go and then he went a couple of lengths clear and he took it easy with me.
“It was his first time on real good to firm ground, so he wasn’t so sure on it - but still, he proved again he’s the best miler around. He was in front on his own for a while, so he was taking things easy.
“He did (stumble just after the line). He’s quite clumsy with his feet — he’s forever losing his shoes and things like that, but when he goes fast he’s all right.
“It’s a pressure ride, the first one (of the meeting) — you want everything to go right, and it did.”
He added: “This was my first Royal Ascot winner in 1990, this race (Markofdistinction), and it’s great to get a win for John and Thady.
“He was a fresh horse, he is one of the best horses in the world so you want everything to go right and we can breathe a little bit now!
“At the moment there’s no need to change his trip. You can rely on him, he’s like picking one of the best players in the team to take a penalty first in a shootout.
“It’s great people are back here, it’s like a mirage — there’s nothing better than Ascot with people.”
Gosden senior said: “We suspected a slow pace and we got that slow pace, so the key thing then is don’t sit out the back. He did it smoothly, came through and won his race, but he’s exactly like his father (Kingman) — as soon as he gets there he thinks he’s done enough.
“If I worked him at home with an ordinary horse he’d just stay with him, that’s his game.
“When you are odds-on like that there’d be something wrong if you weren’t nervous, but it can be a banana skin. Frankie was aware there was no pace so he asserted early, then I noticed he was just hands and heels to keep him going.
“He’s probably done more in a piece of work at home than today.
“I’ve been second in this race three times, but that’s my first win — it obviously took Thady to get me over the line!”
Meawhile Oxted returned to his brilliant best to run out victorious in the King’s Stand Stakes.
Roger Teal’s sprinter was reunited with an inspired Cieren Fallon — who had partnered him to success in the July Cup last season — and the young rider was able to stand up in his saddle to salute the watching crowd a few strides from the line.

Cieren Fallon celebrates his victory on board Oxted. Photograph: Harry Trump/Getty


The five-year-old was surprisingly running over the minimum distance for the first time in his career, although he had won the Portland Handicap over five and a half furlongs at Doncaster in 2019.
The pace in the early stages was red hot, with even Wesley Ward’s Maven struggling to keep tabs on the flying females Que Amoro and Winter Power.
As Que Amoro began to weaken, Winter Power was left in front — but Jim Crowley appeared to have her covered on Battaash with a furlong to run.
However, last year’s winner, who had a setback in the off-season meaning he was making his seasonal debut, failed to pick up when Crowley asked for an effort and he was eventually swamped, although he clung on gallantly for fourth.
Oxted (4-1) had been under pressure for a while, but powered through close home to win going away by a length and three-quarters from Arecibo and American raider Extravagant Kid.
It was a first Royal Ascot winner for both trainer and jockey, the son of six-times champion Kieren Fallon who himself enjoyed so many memorable days at the showpiece meeting.