Riethuiskraal Stud’s blue-blooded sire Flying The Flag hails from a magnificent female line and his star close relative Auguste Rodin provided this family with another great boost when he won the G1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
Out of Flying The Flag’s triple G1 winning own-sister Rhododendron, four-year-old Auguste Rodin returned to winning ways with a fluent win in Wednesday’s contest.
In fending off the late French challenge of Horizon Dore and then Zarakem, the supremely bred son of Deep Impact gained a sixth win from ten starts in top-level company and was described as “very special” by his trainer Aidan O’Brien.
The day-two feature proved seamless for the 13-8 favourite, with Ryan Moore well positioned aboard Auguste Rodin in fourth and having the leaders – headed by Snobbish – in his sights turning into the straight.
Royal Rhyme grasped the lead approaching the two-furlong pole but Auguste Rodin was waiting menacingly to pounce. Moore started to cajole his mount and his willing partner kept finding.
While Inspiral failed to mount a serious challenge, Horizon Dore looked a big threat to Auguste Rodin at the furlong pole and Zarakem powered on to the scene late.
Auguste Rodin, whose past victories included the 2023 G1 Betfred Derby, had enough in reserve, though, winning by three-quarters of a length and sealing a 400th Group or Grade 1 win on the Flat for Aidan O’Brien. He brought up the tally including jumps winners when Luxembourg landed the Tattersalls Gold Cup last year. O’Brien described the King George, for which the Prince of Wales’s winner was cut to 5-2 favourite (from 4) with William Hill, as a “very possible target”, and a defence of his Breeders’ Cup Turf crown appears a long-range aim. Auguste Rodin is very much back.

A son of Galileo, Flying The Flag is sire of, among others, this season’s very progressive three-year-old Flag Man, winner of three of six starts and runner-up in the G1 Daily News 2000.