A NEW arrival at the National Stud in Newmarket this spring is Flag Of Honour, a son of Galileo whose principal victory was in the Group 1 Irish St Leger of 2018, defeating the Irish Derby hero Latrobe by almost three lengths. He had already won a group race as a two-year-old and in his next season he was the joint second best three-year-old stayer in Europe, after Kew Gardens, rated on 123 by Timeform. The National Stud is asking a very reasonable fee of only £4,500 for the services of this high-class stayer.

Flag Of Honour has a top-class pedigree and he was quickly into his stride as a two-year-old, scoring at Naas in September, before adding the Group 3 Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown by a length and a half from Giuseppe Garibaldi. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, he began his three-year-old campaign in France, beaten only half a length when third in the Group 3 Prix Noailles at Longchamp, but then he landed the Group 2 Curragh Cup in July and the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes in August, before his victory over Latrobe in the Irish St Leger in September, when he led all the way to become only the second three-year-old to win that classic this century.

As a four-year-old he was three times second to his stablemate Magical, the champion older filly in Ireland, first in the Group 3 Alleged Stakes, then in the Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes and finally the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, each time over only 10 furlongs, which was short of his best distance, with Latrobe again behind him on two occasions.

Galileo, the sire of Flag Of Honour, was a European champion in 2001, winning the Epsom Derby and the Irish Derby. He has been champion sire in Europe 11 times and has sired over 300 individual stakes winners.

Hawala, a winning daughter of Warning, is the dam of Flag Of Honour and also of 11 other winners, among them the Group 3 Minstrel Stakes hero Air Chief Marshal, Misu Bond who scored in the Listed Free Handicap and was quite a successful sire, another listed winner in Slip Dance and the Irish 2000 Guineas second Foxtrot Romeo. The next dam Halawa, a daughter of Dancing Brave, was a winner in France and dam of five winners, while she was out of the French listed winner Hanzala, a half-sister to Houmayoun, winner of the Group 1 Italian Derby in 1990.

FLAG OF HONOUR (IRE), Bay 2015. Won five races, £555,702, from 7 furlongs to 1 mile 6 furlongs, at 2 and 3 years including, Comer Group International Irish St Leger, Curragh, Gr.1, Comer Group International Curragh Cup, Curragh, Gr.2, Comer Ballycullen St Leger Trial Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3, thetote.com Eyrefield Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, also placed second in Tattersalls Gold Cup, Curragh, Gr.1, Coolmore Irish EBF Mooresbridge Stakes, Curragh, Gr.2, Alleged Stakes, Naas, Gr.3, and third in Prix Noailles, Parislongchamp, Gr.3.

Retired to Stud in 2020.

Stands at: National Stud, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 0XE, England

Contact: Tim Lane, Joe Callan or Emily Hughes

Telephone: +44 (0) 1638 675929

Email: stallions@nationalstud.co.uk

Web: www.nationalstud.co.uk

Fee: £4,500