U S Navy Flag off the mark as Ocean Vision strikes at Dundalk

Top two-year-old and July Cup hero U S Navy Flag became the latest first-season sire to get off the mark, with Ocean Vision scoring tidily at Dundalk on Tuesday evening.

The March-born colt was bred by Mighty Universe Ltd and is the eighth foal out of the winning and Listed-placed Balaagha, a daughter of Mr Greeley who raced in the colours of the late Hamdan Al Maktoum and cost Shadwell $750,000 from the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2007.

Balaagha - who is a half-sister to American Grade 2 winner and top-class producer Letgomyecho, the dam of unbeaten Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies heroine Echo Zulu - subsequently sold to J Ryan for 55,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare Sale in 2014.

The now 16-year-old has also produced three-time winning Camelot filly Sootability and Khawaater, a daughter of Haatef who struck in the colours of Shadwell.

U S Navy Flag was an ultra tough two-year-old, racing 11 times for Aidan O'Brien and the Coolmore partners, with gritty wins in the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes supplemented with a strike in the Round Tower Stakes.

The son of War Front also proved a top-class performer at three, winning the July Cup as well as placing second to Romanised in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. He retired to Coolmore for the 2019 breeding season at a fee of €25,000.

The seven-year-old is the third foal out of the multiple Group 1-winning Galileo mare Misty For Me - a full-sister to three black type performers including Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Ballydoyle - and is therefore a full-brother to multiple Group 1-winning miler Roly Poly and a half-sibling to Grade 3 scorer Cover Song.

U S Navy Flag stands this season for a fee of €12,500 at Coolmore's Castlehyde Stud.

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