Fayr Jag
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Fayr Jag

Fayr Jag (17 May 1999 – 21 April 2008) was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. Trained throughout his racing career in Yorkshire by Tim Easterby he was a durable sprinter who ran 64 times and won eleven races in seven seasons between 2001 and 2007. After winning a minor race in each of his first two seasons he made his first major impact as a four-year-old by winning two handicap races before dead-heating for first place in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot. Later that year he was moved up in class and added victories in the Hopeful Stakes and the Ridgewood Pearl Stakes. In the following year he recorded his biggest win when he defeated a top-class field to win the Group One Golden Jubilee Stakes. He was then without a win for two years before returning to form to win the Chipchase Stakes and the Hackwood Stakes in 2006. Fayr Jag failed to win in 2007 and died after injuring himself in the starting stalls on what was intended to be his first race of 2008.

Fayr Jag was a bay gelding with no white markings bred by Canice M Farrell Jnr. at the Knockatrina House Stud in County Laois, Ireland. His was sired by Fayruz, a precocious sprinter who won six of his first seven races as a two-year-old in 1985 but whose later career was affected by injury problems. As a breeding stallion he also sired Inxile (Prix de Saint-Georges) and Monkston Point (Leisure Stakes). Fayr Jag's dam Lominda showed modest ability as a racehorse, recording her only success in a maiden race at Yarmouth Racecourse in 1990. She was descended from the American broodmare Quick Touch who was the ancestor of several major winners including Run the Gantlet and Afleet Alex.

In September 2000 the yearling colt was offered for sale at Doncaster and was bought for 8,000 guineas by the trainer Tim Easterby. He entered the ownership of TEF Freight and was trained throughout his racing career by Easterby at his Habton Grange stable in North Yorkshire.

Fayr Jag began his racing career by finishing second in a minor race over five furlongs at Thirsk Racecourse in May 2001 and recorded his first success in a maiden race over the same course and distance on 4 August. He then finished second at Chester Racecourse before running unplaced behind Acclamation in a valuable sales race at Doncaster in September. He ended his first season by finishing sixth in a minor race at Catterick Racecourse in October.

After finishing unplaced on his three-year-old debut Fayr Jag ran third in a minor race at Warwick before winning a six furlong handicap race at Ripon on 27 April. He went on to contest more valuable handicaps, finishing second at Newmarket in May and fifth at York on 15 June. Two weeks later he recorded his second success of the year as he carried 120 pounds to victory in a six furlong handicap at Newmarket. He then entered the ownership of Jonathan Gill in whose colours he raced for the rest of his racing career. After finishing second in a handicap at Newmarket on 9 July he started favourite for a similar event over the same course and distance in August but reared up and unseated his jockey exiting the stalls.

Fayr Jag began his third season by finishing second at Beverley in April and then ran third in a handicap at York in May. At Pontefract Racecourse on 1 June he carried top weight of 132 pounds to victory in a six furlong handicap and then followed up by winning in a similar event at York twelve days later. On 21 June at Royal Ascot Fayr Jag was one of 29 horses to contest the Wokingham Stakes over six furlongs. Ridden as in most of his previous races by Willie Supple he carried a weight of 130 pounds and started at odds of 10/1 in a field which included The Tatling and Patavellian. Racing up the stands-side (the left-hand side from the jockeys' viewpoint) Fayr Jag tracked the leaders before going to the front inside the final furlong and finished in a dead heat for first place with the John Hammond-trained Ratio, who raced up the opposite side of the course.

In August the gelding finished eighth of the twenty-nine runners behind Patavellian in the Stewards' Cup at Goodwood before being stepped up in class to contest the Listed Hopeful Stakes on good-to-firm ground at Newmarket and started 11/8 second choice in the betting behind the improving three-year-old Somnus. After behind restrained by Supple in the early stages he went to the front in the final furlong and held off the late challenge of Somnus to win by a neck.

On much softer ground at Haydock Park on 6 September he started a 25/1 outsider for the Group One Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup and finished fifth of ten behind Somnus. Six days after his defeat at Haydock, Fayr Jag was sent to Ireland to contest the Group Three Ridgewood Pearl Stakes over six furlongs at the Curragh with Kevin Darley taking over the ride from Supple. Coming from the rear of the field he passed horse after horse in the last quarter mile, overtook the John Oxx-trained Hanabad in the final strides and won by a head with a gap of two and a half lengths back to the favourite Avonbridge in third.

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