JIM Bolger features strongly this week when it comes to group-winning two-year-olds. He owns, with his wife Jackie, trains and bred the Group 2 Galileo Irish EBF Futurity Stakes winner Mac Swiney, and he also bred the unbeaten Group 3 Acomb Stakes winner Gear Up.

John Magnier has often, and publicly, praised Jim Bolger’s foresight when the trainer was the first great outside supporter of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) as a stallion. The sires Group 1 winners feature many Bolger stalwarts among their number, and now the Coolcullen master continues to enjoy success with Galileo’s sons.

Given that the Group 2 feature at the Curragh is named in honour of Coolmore’s multiple champion Galileo, it is appropriate that Bolger should win the race for the sixth time, and with a colt who is inbred 2x3 to the great sire. In 2006 and 2007 Jim Bolger saddled Teofilo and New Approach to win back-to-back runnings of the Futurity Stakes. Mac Swiney is by the latter and out of a mare by the former.

This was a second course and distance win for Mac Swiney on just his fourth start. His victory gave a huge update for Lot 180 in the upcoming Goffs Orby Sale, now to be staged in Doncaster, as that offering is a Vocalised (Vindication) half-brother to last Saturday’s winner. He is being consigned to the sale by Jim and Jackie Bolger’s granddaughter Clare, through her parent’s Boherguy Stud, and the March 13th bay is the fifth progeny of her unraced dam Halla Na Saoire (Teofilo).

Mac Swiney is the second runner and winner for Halla Na Saoire and follows the dual winner Slaney Street (Intense Focus). The two that have not started are a four-year-old colt News Anchor (New Approach) and a three-year-old colt Legal Pomp (Lawman). Though she was unraced, Halla Na Saoire was guaranteed a place in the breeding shed.

She was born a year after her full-brother Light Heavy (Teofilo) and her nephew Parish Hall, also a son of Teofilo. Light Heavy won the Group 2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown before finishing third to Camelot and Born To Sea in the five-runner Irish Derby, with the subsequent Group 1 winner Akeed Mofeed in fourth place. Parish Hall, meanwhile, achieved his crowning glory when he won the Group 1 Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

Another branch

Not only has Jim Bolger had success with Mac Swiney from this branch of the family, but he developed another branch and in 2011 sent out An Ghalanta (Holy Roman Emperor) to win the five-furlong Listed Curragh Stakes. He sold her as a three-year-old to David Redvers for €140,000 and she has gone on to provide another major 2020 pedigree update, her daughter Time Scale (Charm Spirit) winning a listed juvenile race at Newmarket for Qatar Racing.

New Approach (Galileo), the sire of Mac Swiney, was saddled by Bolger to be the champion European two- and three-year-old, his victories including the Group 1 Dewhurst and National Stakes at two and the Group 1 Derby and Irish and English Champion Stakes in his second season. He had the perfect start as a stallion when his son Dawn Approach, bred and trained by Bolger, emulated his sire’s juvenile performances and also won the Dewhurst and National Stakes. At three he added the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes and 2000 Guineas.

In addition to Dawn Approach, New Approach has sired five other Group 1 winners, and they include the classic-winning duo of Masar (Derby) and Talent (Oaks). Mac Swiney is one of 15 Group 2 winners by the sire. New Approach is sire of six group winners in 2020, including fellow Group 2 winner and Group 1 Jebel Hatta second Magic Lily, plus Group 2 Dubai City Of Gold victor Loxley.

Gear Up

Teofilo only raced at two when he was unbeaten in five starts. Both of his Group 1 victories were at the expense of Holy Roman Emperor, the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh and the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. He beat Eagle Mountain when he won the Group 2 Galileo EBF Futurity.

The versatility of Teofilo (Galileo) as a stallion is great and he gets top-class performers at all ages and over a wide variety of trips. His 18 Group 1 winners again contain a plethora of Jim Bolger bred and trained performers, such as the aforementioned Parish Hall, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner Trading Leather, the Irish 1000 Guineas and Yorkshire Oaks winner Pleascach and the Criterium International hero Loch Garman.

This year is proving to be memorable for Teofilo who stands at Kildangan Stud. Donjah’s victory in the Group 1 Preis von Europa recently delivered the sire with his 18th top-level winner, Group 1 Prix Saint Alary heroine Tawkeel made it a perfect five from five last Saturday with her victory in the Group 2 Prix de la Nonette at Deauville, and meanwhile the Mark Johnston-trained Gear Up annexed the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York, his second course and distance win.

Consigned at last year’s Orby Sale by Clare Manning, Gear Up sold to his trainer for €52,000. He was bred by Jim Bolger from the Toccet (Awesome Again) mare Gearanai, a $40,000 short-yearling buy at the 2008 Keeneland January Sale. Racing for Jackie Bolger and the late John Corcoran, Gearanai managed a well-beaten fourth at Naas in six career starts, but she has truly made amends as a broodmare.

Guaranteed success

Gear Up is her second group winner, following the exploits of his own-brother Guaranteed (Teofilo). He won the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown on his final start at two, and was a listed winner and runner-up to Latrobe in the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes last year. He was recently gelded and it will be interesting to follow his career when he reappears on the track.

Gearanai is now dam of four winners and a placed horse from her first six foals, all bar one of them being by Teofilo. The odd one out is five-time winner New Direction (New Approach). Jim Bolger has a three-year-old full-sister to Gear Up and Guaranteed in training. She is named Assurance (Teofilo) and she has been placed a couple of times. A win would be very valuable for her now.

A second investment in this family was made by Bolger when, a year and a half after he purchased Gearanai, he bought her half-sister Sanaara (Anabaa) for $105,000. She never raced but she bred the group-placed, five-time winner Theobold (Teofilo).

Sanaara and Gearanai are granddaughters of Dispute (Danzig) and she numbered the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, Spinster Stakes, Beldame Stakes and Gazelle Stakes among her nine victories. Bolger enjoyed group-race success with yet another one of her granddaughters, Maoineach (Congaree). Dispute is one of three Grade 1 winners for her stakes-winning dam Resolver (Reviewer).

Gearanai has a yearling colt by Teofilo who was withdrawn from the sales last November. The decision to retain him would look to be inspired now.