Top jumps stallion Flemensfirth retired from duty aged 28

Flemensfirth, the leading National Hunt stallion whose progeny include 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander, has been pensioned from active service at the age of 28.

He has been standing at The Beeches Stud, Coolmore's division in County Waterford, throughout this century and at €15,000, was its most expensive sire.

A son of the great dual Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Alleged, Flemensfirth is a US-bred recruit from Mill Ridge Farm and raced for Sheikh Mohammed and John Gosden, winning as a two-year-old at Nottingham under Frankie Dettori in 1994.

He took the Group 1 Prix Lupin at three before finishing fifth to Celtic Swing in the French Derby, later defying a year's absence with back-to-back wins in the Prix Dollar and adding the Group 1 Premio Roma to his haul before the year was out.

His progeny also include the Arkle and Lexus Chase winner Tidal Bay, last year's Grand National runner-up Magic Of Light, Betfair Chase winner Lostintranslation and the top-class chaser Waiting Patiently.

Grade 1 chaser Lostintranslation is one of Flemensfirth's recent standoutsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Although there were few Flat runners, Flemensfirth had a notable winner when the versatile mare Jennies Jewel took the Ascot Stakes in 2016.

"He’s been a fantastic horse for us, he’s 28 now but he’s still in good health, happy and goes out to his paddock every day. It’s a very well earned retirement too," said Robert McCarthy of the stud.

"He’s been a great horse to have, he’s always been a good horse to cover, very fertile and really stamps his stock; he bred great looking foals and they always sold very well and went on to be top-class on the racecourse.

"He was twice champion sire and he’s a tough horse, not nasty in any way, and I think that’s what made his stock good."

Flemensfirth has been in huge demand throughout his tenure at The Beeches, regularly producing crops of more than 200. His numbers have been in three-figures even in recent years and the slow-burning nature of jumping means he will have more young prospects to come both in the ring and on the track.

Only this week, a son and daughter both made more than €150,000 at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale.

There are hopes his successor could have already arrived in the form of Crystal Ocean, last year's Prince of Wales's Stakes winner, who has completed his first season under a dual-purpose umbrella.

"We're very lucky here to have some nice young horses coming along and to have got Crystal Ocean to stand at Beeches in the year that Flemensfirth retired," McCarthy added. "He’s covered an outstanding book of mares in his first season and we’re blessed to have him."

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