The gritty win of Etah James in the Sydney Cup over 3200m at Randwick elevated her sire Raise The Flag to exalted company.
Raise The Flag is one of four sons of Hasili to become Group 1 sires along with Dansili, Cacique and Champs Elysees.
Homebred by Juddmonte Farm, Hasili (Kahyasi) won the Listed Prix des Sablonnets as a two-year-old over 1600m at Nantes for Henri-Alex Pantall and after a pair of Listed-placed efforts at three, was retired to embark on what would be a remarkable stud career.
All told, Hasili left five Group/Grade 1 winners in Banks Hill, Cacique, Champs Elysees, Heat Haze and Intercontinental in addition to Dansili and Deluxe, both of whom were Gr.1-placed, although had Dansili not encountered so much traffic in the home straight when a fast-finishing third to War Chant in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Mile the son of Danehill may very well have joined that illustrious Group 1 list.
The Gr.2 Prix du Muguet winner Dansili (Danehill) stood his entire career at Banstead Manor Stud in Newmarket, siring 21 Gr.1 winners prior to his retirement in 2018.
By contrast, his younger brother Cacique suffered fertility problems and left only around 160 foals which included Gr.1 winners Mutual Trust, Dominant and Slumber.
Three-time Gr.1 winner in the USA and Canada, Champs Elysees stood under the Juddmonte banner and sired 1,000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook and Ascot Gold Cup winner Trip To Paris.
Bred by Mark and Cath Lupton, Terry Reid and Gary Howes, Etah James is from the second crop of Raise The Flag, bred when he stood for NZ$4,000 in 2011.
Hasili’s only foal by Sadler’s Wells, injury restricted Raise The Flag to that one racecourse outing at Longchamp for trainer Andre Fabre when finishing sixth over 2200m and he was retired to stand at White Robe Lodge Stud in partnership with Juddmonte Farms.
Raise The Flag is her last son at stud following the retirement of Cacique and Dansili and the death of Champs Elysees. He was relatively well supported in his early seasons, his first four crops never dipping below the 70-foal mark.
A first stakes winner arrived in January 2017 when third-crop member Raise You Ten landed the Listed Gore Guineas at Gore in New Zealand. Since then there have been a further six stakes winners, among them the White Robe Lodge-bred Listed winners Parthesia and Civil Disobedience alongside Australian Gr.3 winner Broadside.
Today, Raise The Flag remains an integral part of the White Robe Lodge roster, where he stands at a fee of NZ$6,000 alongside Ghibellines, a Group 2-winning son of Shamardal, and Gallant Guru, a Group 2-winning son of Montjeu.
Hasili died aged 27 in 2018 having been pensioned in 2012 however, the influence of the 2006 English Broodmare of the Year is likely to be with us for many years yet.