THE outstanding British stallion Pivotal (Polar Falcon) was retired from active service this month, just as one of his most highly-rated grandsons is beginning his stud career.

Far Above achieved a Timeform rating of 122 and, although he won four of his five starts, there is a definite sense that he was an even better horse than we had the chance to see. He is a son of the top-class eight-to-10 furlong horse Farhh (Pivotal), a stallion who has been getting his best over a wide range of distances – sprinters, milers, a Derby-placed colt and stayers – and Far Above began his career over seven furlongs at the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket.

He won that maiden on fast ground but after finishing fourth in a listed contest over the same course and distance a month later, he was brought down in trip. He won his first sprint by five lengths on soft ground at Windsor and added a listed sprint at Deauville the following month, also over six furlongs.

Sadly, the only other time we saw Far Above was in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket 11 months later. You would expect a horse to be rusty after such an absence, but this outing resulted in a three-quarter-length defeat of the prolific Judicial. He clocked just over 58 seconds on his five-furlong debut and were it not for a career-ending injury, Far Above would likely have been a leading contender for the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes and Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp.

Far Above is out of Dorraar (Shamardal), a winning daughter of an unraced mare called Dorrati (Dubai Millennium), and their broodmare sires will likely catch the attention of the owners of all those speedy and well-related Lope de Vega (Shamardal), Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) and Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) mares, among others.

The presence of those two broodmare sires also indicates that he comes from a top-class family — only the best-related mares go to horses like them.

Dorrati, a daughter of the Oaks-placed Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes winner Bahr (Generous), is half-sister to the dual stakes-winner Baharah (Elusive Quality) and Nahrain (Selkirk), the Breeders’ Cup-placed Group 1 Prix de l’Opera and Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes-winning dam of Benbatl (Dubawi).

That top-class international performer, who has earned over £5.8 million to date, is very closely related to the grandam of Far Above. He is a Group 1 winner at Meydan, Munich and Caulfield, chased home the great Winx in the Group 1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley and was a runaway winner of the Group 2 Joel Stakes when dropping back to a mile.

Far Above, the fastest horse in his family, is bred to sire mostly sprinters and milers – he could get a few 10-furlong ones too – and he looks sure to be very popular.

FAR ABOVE (IRE), Bay 2016. Won four races, £58,123, from 5 furlongs to 7 furlongs, at 3 and 4 years including, Palace House Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3, Qatar Prix Kistena, Deauville, L.

Retires to Stud in 2021.

Stands at: Starfield Stud, Ballynagall, Mullingar, Co Westmeath, N91 K8Y9, Ireland.

Contact: Micheál Orlandi

Telephone: +353 (0)83 8092299

Email: info@compasstallions.com

Web: www.compasstallions.com

Fee: €6,000