The first Southern Hemisphere foal by Valachi Downs shuttle stallion U S Navy Flag (USA) has been born at Riversdale Farm in New South Wales.
The colt out of Parmalove (Snitzel) arrived in the early hours of Monday morning at the Hunter Valley nursery.
The foal has quickly made a favourable impression on Riversdale owner Nick Hodges.
“The U S Navy Flag – Parmalove foal born around 2.30am this morning is a very nice foal,” he said.
“He has good bone and size.
“He was straight up and on the suck quickly, which is what we like to see. We look forward to seeing how he develops.”
U S Navy Flag was a Group 1-winning 2-year-old in the Middle Park S. and Dewhurst S., and he added another elite victory as a 3-year-old in the stallion-making July Cup.
The son of War Front (USA) served an introductory book of 150 mares last spring in his first season shuttling to New Zealand. His first foals in Ireland were warmly received by breeders, and in a testament to the quality of those foals, he covered an even larger book in his second season at Coolmore.
“She is a smashing filly with a lovely head and she is very much in the mould of her sire,” trainer Aidan O’Brien said of the U S Navy Flag filly he and wife Anne Marie bred from the Fastnet Rock mare Far Fetched.
Gigginstown Stud’s Eddie O’Leary said of the colt from Cape Cross mare Edelline, “He’s a lovely, correct first foal and is a very good advertisement for his sire.”
Three-time G1 winner U S Navy Flag will return to Valachi Downs for the 2020 breeding season, where he will stand for a service fee of $17,500 on a stallion roster that also features Zacinto (GB), Vespa (NZ), Savile Row (NZ) and new stallion Ten Sovereigns (Ire), who was also a winner of the G1 July Cup at three.
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