Flintshire evokes golden age of great turf sires in Kentucky

John Sikura acted boldly when stretching to just over $6.2 million to secure a 20 per cent share in Curlin with Elevage II during the summer of 2015. When the share officially came on to the market that spring, the horse had a pair of Grade 1 winners to his name but there was plenty of action in the pipeline and 18 months on, he enters the 2017 season at Sikura’s Hill ’n’ Dale Farm as one of America’s most sought after sires at $150,000 thanks to a roll-call of seven top-level winners.

It’s not too fanciful to think that Sikura has landed another coup with the addition of Flintshire - quite a different type to Curlin - to his roster. An admirably consistent performer for Juddmonte Farms, the son of Dansili won eight races over the course of four seasons with Andre Fabre and then Chad Brown in the US, including five Group or Grade 1 races.

It’s the kind of toughness that should be embraced by breeders, especially in light of the fact that his international profile encompassed victories in the Grand Prix de Paris, Hong Kong Vase and two renewals of the Sword Dancer Stakes in addition to a pair of placed efforts in the Arc and Breeders’ Cup Turf. He retired sound as the winner of close to $9.6m.