King George hero Poet's Word sold to stand at Boardsmill Stud

Poet's Word, rated seventh in last year's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, has been acquired by Boardsmill Stud in County Meath.

The son of Poet's Voice was advertised as a Flat stallion in his first season at Nunnery Stud in Norfolk this year, but will fulfil a dual-purpose role alongside Califet, Court Cave, Kalanisi and Mount Nelson – all proven sources of jumps Grade 1 winners – at the Flood family's operation from 2020.

Poet's Word was bred by Woodcote Stud out of the Listed-placed Nashwan mare Whirly Bird, making him a half-brother to the dam of classy juvenile Beckford and a relation to Group 1 performers Inchinor, Harbour Law and Venus De Milo.

Bought by Charlie Gordon-Watson as a yearling for 300,000gns on behalf of Saeed Suhail, he was sent into training with Sir Michael Stoute and won seven of his 17 starts. He hit peak form last year at five when he landed the Brigadier Gerard Stakes, Prince of Wales's Stakes and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and finished second in the Juddmonte International.

Poet's Word was the only horse to defeat joint-world champion Cracksman last season, and took the scalp of this year's highest rated Flat performer Crystal Ocean in the King George.

“Poet’s Word is an exciting addition to the stallion ranks in Ireland,” said Boardsmill Stud's John Flood. “He's a very attractive dark bay horse, standing over 16.1 hands high with good bone and a great walk.

“His Group 1 victories last year earned him a Timeform Rating of 132 and he improved every year from two to five, winning on all types of ground and finishing in the frame in 16 of his 17 starts.

“He comes from the Dubawi line with his first three sires all Group 1 winners over eight to ten furlongs and it’s a sire-line free of Northern Dancer blood, so he is a welcome outcross option for breeders.”

Poet's Word's early sale to a National Hunt stud shines a light on the diminishing demand for middle-distance stallions from British and Irish Flat breeders, even when they boast the complete package of performance, pedigree and physique as in his case.

Equine genetics expert Professor Emmeline Hill said in a recent Racing Post interview that her research showed that there has been a halving of the number of TT [staying-bred] horses in the thoroughbred population in Britain and Ireland and a 70 per cent increase in CC horses [those bred for sprinting] in the last 15 years.

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