“He’s unbelievable,” said champion Irish trainer Aiden O’Brien of US Navy Flag on winning the Gr1 July Cup 6f at Newmarket, the first win of this his 3YO season. “He was absolutely out on his head in the final furlong but still kept trying, so he’s an unbelievable little horse to be doing that.”

“He doesn’t need tactics. He’s aggressive and wants to go forward, and if anything wants to take him on they’ll have to be going hard,” stated O’Brien, with winning champion jockey Ryan Moore adding “The second came to me and probably got to a neck but he dug in – he’s a very straightforward horse.”

Aiden O’Brien added “He’ll probably have a little rest now, he’s had a tough time, then we’ll train him for The Everest.”

“Australian racing is very strong and competitive, so it’s great that we can race through the first half of the year in this country and then go down in the winter for the second half of their season.”

However, US Navy Flag is also entered for the Coolmore sponsored Nunthorpe Stakes 5f at York, on 24 August where he is already installed as 6/1 third favourite.

Aiden O’Brien had decided to switch US Navy Flag back to the sprint distances of 6 furlongs of the July Cup, as he was unsuccessful over 1600m in the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Gr1 Irish 2000 Guineas when second to outsider Romanised, and the Gr1 French 2000 Guineas.

“What threw us was that he was able to win a Dewhurst, after setting a strong pace,” said Aiden O’Brien on abandoning a classic career for US Navy Flag. “He nearly won an Irish Guineas, probably the toughest mile any horse can run.”

US Navy Flag was rated Champion 2YO Colt of Europe, Britain and Ireland in 2017 in winning the Gr1 Dewhurst Stakes 7f, Gr1 Middle Park Stakes 6f and Gr3 Round Tower Stakes of 6f.

He finished second in Gr2 July Stakes, third in listed Marble Hill Stakes, fourth in Gr1 Phoenix Stakes, and was unplaced in the Gr2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar, his final race of the season.

US Navy Flag is a ‘true Coolmore horse!’  Owned by Coolmore stalwarts Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier and Michael Tabor he is by the Champion US Juvenile Sire in War Front, who stands at Claiborne Farm in Kentucky and now majority owned by Coolmore.

Coolmore also stands Air Force Blue, War Front’s Champion European 2YO Colt at Coolmore Australia, who shuttles between Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky. Coolmore also stand War Front’s former shuttle stallion Declaration of War at Ashford Stud, with his Dewhurst Stakes winner War Command standing at Coolmore Ireland.

Bred by the Misty For Me Syndicate, US Navy Flag is from Galileo’s Champion 2YO, 3YO Filly in Misty For Me, who is also dam of triple Group 1 winner Roly Poly, by War Front, and Group 3 winner Cover Song, by Fastnet Rock. Mist For Me is a full-sister Champion 2YO French Filly in Ballydoyle and stakes winner Twirl.

With US Navy Flag showing what it takes to conquer The Everest, what can future Coolmore sprinter and sires bring to The Everest. Merchant Navy, the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and Coolmore Stud Stakes winner retires to Coolmore this season, along with Caravaggio, ‘the Ballymore Bullet’ and Galileo’s most precious son Churchill.

The US Triple Crown champion American Pharaoh has his first Australian bred foals this year, with his first American yearlings selling up to $1.2million, and averaging $536,667 at the Saratoga Select Yearling Sale.  Air Force Blue will also have his first Australian bred foals this season.

Vancouver and Pride of Dubai will have their first yearlings selling in 2019, with their weanlings topping at $625,000 and $210,000 respectively.

This year Rubick and Adelaide had their first yearlings sell for $470.000 and $210,000 respectively, will have their first runners due this season.

No Nay Never has17 individual winners in his first NH season with Land Force winning Gr2 Richmond Stakes, listed Tipperary Stakes and placed Gr2 Norfolk Stakes, plus three listed stakes winners. His first Australian yearlings sell in 2019.

Pierro finished Leading Second Season Sire of 2017-18 with Levendi winning Gr1 Australia Derby and Gr2 Carbine Club Stakes and Pinot the Gr1 VRC Oaks and Gr3 Ethereal Stakes. This year two yearlings sold for $1,050,000 at auction.

So, You Think finished Leading Third Season Sire last season with D’Argento winning the Gr1 Rosehill Guineas, third Gr2 Hobartville Stakes, fourth Gr1 Doncaster Mile and Suppress the Gr1 Australasian Oaks and Gr3 Auraria Stakes.

Fasten Rock again finished third on the Australian Champion Sires listing with four Group 1 winners headed by Shoals in the Myers Classic, Surround Stakes and Sangster Stakes, and Merchant Navy in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and Coolmore Stud Stakes. This year his four top yearlings sold at auction between $2.3 million to $1.15 million.

Starspangledbanner had winners in Australia and Hong Kong in 2017-18 with Meliora being a duel stakes winner in France. His yearlings sold up to $360,000 in Australia and in France his foals topped €165,000.

Also, last season Choisir had Alexios Komnenos, Psychedelic Funk, Zihba and Setsuna as Group 3 winners in Ireland, plus stakes winners in Australia and South Africa. He had five yearlings sell between $280,000 and $220,000 at auction.

By Bernard Kenny