'My father cut the timber for the stable' - the other Bolger behind Poetic Flare

No man is an island, even one who cuts as singular a figure as Jim Bolger.

For behind a self-created breeding, owning and training empire that seems to have risen to greater prominence than ever this year through the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Mac Swiney and Wednesday’s red-hot Qatar Sussex Stakes favourite Poetic Flare lie the contributions of plenty of others, quite a few of whom share the same surname.

Perhaps no-one is better acquainted with the machinations than Bolger’s nephew Ken, who manages his nursery and sees what must now be the vast majority of his string before they end up moving along the chain of command.