Parish Hall lands the 2011 Dewhurst Stakes
When injury forced Teofilo’s premature departure from Jim Bolger’s Coolcullen stable, it was understandable that the trainer would wish to play a significant part in his homebred’s secondary career.
The unbeaten champion juvenile was sold to Darley to stand at Kildangan Stud and when a list of his first two-year-olds in training appeared earlier this year it showed that Bolger had around 25% of Teofilo’s first crop under his care.
He duly sent out his first winner, Parish Hall, in April, and his first stakes winner, Teolane, who won a Listed race at Naas in June. Both were bred and trained by Bolger and race in the colours of his wife Jackie.
The trainer is not solely responsible for Teofilo’s successful start at stud: Jessica Harrington primed Remember Alexander to beat Parish Hall in the Group 3 Tyros Stakes, to give the sire a one-two in the race he won in 2006, and the Andreas Wohler-trained Black Arrow took a Listed race in Germany in September. But it was Parish Hall’s determined victory in Saturday’s Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes which turned a good season into a memorable one for the freshman.
The youngster also extended Bolger’s phenomenal record in the race, with Parish Hall bringing up the trainer’s fourth Dewhurst victory in the last six years following the consecutive wins of Teofilo, New Approach – who, remarkably, won the same five races as Teofilo in succeeding him as champion two-year-old – and Intense Focus.
If a first-crop son of New Approach bred and trained by Jim Bolger appears in next year’s Dewhurst line-up, a small wager might just be in order.
