Flying Spur (4 November 1992–8 May 2018) was an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse that won three

Group One Group One, Group 1, Grade I or G1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. In Europe, the level of races for Thoroughbred racing is determined using the Pattern races, Pattern race sys ...

races, most notably the 1995

Golden Slipper The Golden Slipper Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-old horses run over 1,200 metres on turf at set weights conditions, held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. It is the premier two y ...

. He was also the

Leading sire in Australia The list below shows the leading sire of Thoroughbred racehorses in Australia for each season since 1883–84. This is determined by the amount of prize money won by the sire's progeny during the season. List * 2021/22 – I Am Invincible (1) * 20 ...

for the 2006/07 season.

Background

Flying Spur was from the second crop of champion sire Danehill. He was born and bred at

Arrowfield Stud Arrowfield Stud is a thoroughbred stud farm comprising 2,500 acres in the fertile Segenhoe Valley, near Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley. Established in 1985, Arrowfield Stud is the largest Australian owned thoroughbred stud and currently stands ...

in the

Hunter Region The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...

of New South Wales. He was sent to the 1994 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale where he was bought for $160,000 by trainer

Lee Freedman David Lee Freedman (born 12 August 1956) is an Australian thoroughbred racehorse trainer. and Hall of Fame inductee. In partnership with brothers Anthony, Michael, and Richard, he has been a prolific winner of Australia's major races in past 2 ...

for a group of owners. The majority ownership of the horse was retained by Arrowfield Stud.

Racing career

Flying Spur won at his debut on the 26 November 1994 at Caulfield. Two starts later he won his first stakes races the Blue Diamond Prelude when ridden by

Mick Dittman Leonard Ross "Mick" Dittman (born 2 July 1952 in Rockhampton Queensland) is a retired Australian Racing Hall of Fame jockey. Nicknamed "The Enforcer" due to his strong use of the whip, he was renowned for his vigour and strength in a tight ...

. The following week he ran second in the

Blue Diamond Stakes The Blue Diamond Stakes is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds, at set weights, run over 1200 metres at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The event is Victoria's richest two-year-old race ...

as a 13/4 favourite and backed up again a week later when third in the

Sires' Produce Stakes (VRC) The Sires' Produce Stakes is a Victoria Racing Club Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race for two-year-olds, run at set weights, over a distance of 1400 metres, at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia in March during the VRC Autumn Racing Carn ...

. After a three week break Flying Spur next contested the 1995

where he started as a 25/1 outsider. Jim Cassidy was originally booked to ride the horse in the race but became disqualified from riding and

Glen Boss Glen Boss (born 21 August 1969 in Caboolture) is an Australian jockey, who is best known for riding Makybe Diva to victory in three consecutive Melbourne Cups: 2003, 2004, and 2005. He has also been successful in four Cox Plates: Makybe Diva i ...

was made his replacement. In a close finish Flying Spur defeated future

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

horse

Octagonal In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...

in second place, with Millrich (future dam of

Redzel Redzel (foaled 19 September 2012) is an Australian thoroughbred racehorse. He races in the Triple Crown Syndicate silks for a group of owners who bought into the gelding as a yearling. Redzel is known around the stables as Richie after the New Ze ...

) in third. Years later, Boss would say, "Flying Spur was the horse that really put me on the map. I owe a lot in my career to him." Flying Spur would win his next

race in the 1996

Australian Guineas The Australian Guineas is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run at set weights, over a distance of 1600 metres at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbourne, Australia in March during the VRC Autumn Racing Carni ...

at Flemington when ridden by

Damien Oliver Damien Oliver (born 22 June 1972) is an Australian thoroughbred racing jockey. Oliver comes from a racing family; his father Ray Oliver had a successful career until his death in a race fall during the 1975 Kalgoorlie cup in Western Australia. ...

and his third and final major being the 1996

All Aged Stakes The All Aged Stakes is an Australian Turf Club Group 1 Thoroughbred Weight for Age horse race, run over a distance of 1,400 metres at Randwick Racecourse, Sydney, Australia in April or May during the ATC Autumn Carnival. Prize money is A$600,0 ...

at Randwick when ridden by Steven King.

Stud career

Flying Spur was retired from racing after 20 starts to commence stallion duties at

. He performed this role between 1996 until 2012 when he was retired from service due to declining fertility. As well as being crowned

for the 2006/07 season, his progeny amassed over $135 million in prizemoney. He sired over 1,000 individual winners, including 99 stakes winners and 14 Group One winners. After being retired from stallion duties, Flying Spur remained at

and lived out his days there until dying in 2018 aged 25. He was laid to rest and buried at the stud.

Notable progeny

Flying Spur's 14

winners: ''c =

colt Colt(s) or COLT may refer to: *Colt (horse), an intact (uncastrated) male horse under four years of age People * Colt (given name) *Colt (surname) Places *Colt, Arkansas, United States *Colt, Louisiana, an unincorporated community, United States ...

, f =

filly A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use: *In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old. *In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...

, g =

gelding A gelding is a castrated male horse or other equine, such as a pony, donkey or a mule. Castration, as well as the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male equine to be calmer and better-behaved, makin ...

Pedigree

References

{{reflist Racehorses bred in Australia Racehorses trained in Australia 1992 racehorse births 2018 racehorse deaths Thoroughbred family 4-g