By Elaine Belval
Sires and sire lines ebb and flow in this game. The dominant sire of one generation can vanish in the next. But, every once in a while, a sire line continues through one son, and many times through the son no one expected. The great American sire line of Himyar fits that description. Once upon a time, this sire dominated American racing (a grandson of the great Eclipse out of a daughter of the great sire Lexington). He sired the great American racehorse Domino, for example. But, over time, the European branch of Cyllene through Phalaris came to dominate the breed, and Himyar found himself in the “hinterlands.”
But one son, Kentucky Derby winner Plaudit, survived, siring onwards the sequence of King James/Spur/Sting and Questionnaire, the sire of Free for All. That sire had Rough’n Tumble, one of the better two and three year olds of his generation and the sire of the racing great Dr. Fager—whose male line has all but disappeared. Rough’n Tumble, however, sired Minnesota Mac, who in turn sired Great Above out of Dr. Fager’s half-sister, the great sprint filly Ta Wee.
Great Above was a GSW and a leading perennial sire for High Mark Farm and others in Florida. But, it seemed that was all he was meant to be—a good regional sire. But he got one horse much better than the rest of his produce when he sired Horse of the Year Holy Bull, winner of 11 stakes including six G1 races. Holy Bull retired to then Jonabell Farm in Kentucky and has been a very useful sire for Jonabell and now Darley’s American branch. It is hard to knock Holy Bull, who stood the 2011 season for the very reasonable price of $10,000 and has Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo among other G1 winners to his credit.  Again, it didn’t seem likely he would continue the great American sire line of Himyar, but  Holy Bull somehow has so far. His Champion son Macho Uno (standing at Adena Springs Kentucky) has 14 SWs in his first four crops of racing age (not including two-year-olds of 2011). And now comes Holy Bull’s son Flashy Bull, with his first crop of two-year-olds in 2011.
It is still very early in the racing season for two-year-olds, but  the two-year-old quality black-type races are starting and the first Graded stakes race for two-year-olds in the US was run at Churchill Downs last weekend.
The winner of that race was the filly Flashy Lassie, owned by Barry King, bred by Mr. and Mrs. Hugh King and trained by Garry Simms. She is, as her name indicates, by Flashy Bull.
Flashy Bull won a maiden race at Belmont as a two-year-old and finished second in the G2 Remsen to Bluegrass Cat. At three, he finished second in the G2 Fountain of Youth (to First Samurai, but defeating Corinthian and Jazil). At four, he won four of six races including the prestigious G1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. His dam is the winning Mt. Livermore mare Iridescence. This is the female family of the elite mare Queen Louie.
Flashy Bull proved popular when he retired to Airdrie Stud, as he has 90+ named two-year-olds in his first crop. He already has three winners. With Flashy Lassie’s victory in the G3 Debutante, he is now the current leading Freshman Sire.
Flashy Bull stood at Airdrie Stud in 2011, for a fee of $6,000. Can this line continue another generation? Stay tuned.
Right On! Flashy Bull looks like the real deal. He has a filly named Born Bullish that won a MSW at Belmont on 6-24. The horse won by 9 under a hand ride. Definitely a graded stakes winner if she stays healthy.
Besides being the best looking son of the bull I think his running style was very similar to his old mans and he is proving already to be as classy at stud as he was on the track. He will have a grade 1 winner very soon!