A EUROPEAN champion over 10 furlongs as a four-year-old in 2015, Free Eagle made an excellent start to his new career with his first runners in 2019, when he was one of the top 10 first crop sires in Europe, both by their earnings with €217,943 and by number of races won with 17.
Among his 12 individual winners were Justifier, successful in the Listed Caravaggio Stakes at Tipperary and third in the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown, while Auxilia was placed in the Listed Silken Glider Stakes at the Curragh.
Two of his yearlings sold for six-figure prices, with a top of €145,687 at Newmarket, while there were nine which fetched €30,000 or more.
Raced only twice as a juvenile, Free Eagle won on his debut at Leopardstown, then returned there to be second to Australia in the Group 3 Golden Fleece Stakes. Then from only two starts the next season, he won the Group 3 Kilternan Stakes at Leopardstown, before a very creditable third to Noble Mission and Al Kazeem in the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot.
Improving all the time, Free Eagle scored an impressive win in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot as a four-year-old in the Moyglare Stud colours, ahead of The Grey Gatsby, before taking third prize behind Golden Horn and Arc heroine Found in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
Free Eagle is one of the very best sons of champion High Chaparral, the champion three-year-old of 2002, whose five Group 1 victories included the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby and Breeders’ Cup Turf. Among the 23 Group 1 winners sired by High Chaparral are So You Think (with 7 wins at that level in Ireland and Australia) and Toronado.
Polished Gem, the dam of Free Eagle, is a winning daughter of Danehill and she has produced eight winners, six of which are blacktype earners.
They include Search For A Song, successful in the Group 1 Irish St Leger in 2019, Custom Cut with five group wins including the Group 2 Sandown Mile, and Sapphire who scored in the Group 2 British Champions Fillies Stakes at Ascot.
Free Eagle’s grandam Trusted Partner won the Irish 1000 Guineas and is dam of the US Grade 1 star Dress To Thrill, while the third dam Talking Picture was the champion two-year-od filly in USA.
FREE EAGLE (IRE), Bay 2011. Jt Champion older horse in Ireland in 2015. Jt Champion older horse in Europe in 2015 (9.5-10.5f.). Won three races, £592,524, from 1 mile to 1 mile 2 furlongs, 2 to 4 years including, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, KPMG Enterprise Kilternan Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, also placed second in ICON Juv.Turf Trial Golden Fleece Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, and third in QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.1, Qipco Champion Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1.
Retired to Stud in 2016, and sire of the winners of 19 races, and £228,914, including JUSTIFIER (IRE), Auxilia (IRE).
Stands at: Irish National Stud, Tully, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Contact: Cathal Beale, Sinead Hyland, Gary Swift, Patrick Diamond or Helen Boyce
Telephone: +353 (0) 45 521251
Email: info@irishnationalstud.ie
Web: www.irishnationalstud.ie
Fee: €12,500