Sprinting Stars – Falvelon
If there are two things we learnt during the Turf Heroes series, they are that (1) a surprising number of people seem to like reading about champion thoroughbreds; and (2) Cliff can’t shut up about such horses. With that in mind, Making The Nut is pleased to bring you a ten-part ‘Sprinting Stars’ series, where Cliff Bingham will look back upon the short course specialists who scorched turf at the highest level. Part four of the series reminisces about outstanding Queensland sprinter Falvelon.
Previous instalments of the Sprinting Stars series:
Part 1: Schillaci
Part 2: Mahogany
Part 3: General Nediym
The career
Falvelon took little time in October 1998 to announce himself as a sprinter of great potential – one race in fact. There he overcame barrier 16 (of 16 runners) and missing the start slightly to win his debut race, the Listed Meynink Stakes at Eagle Farm. Two weeks later he won again at Doomben before going out for a spell.
He resumed in February 1999 and extended his unbeaten streak from two to four with a pair of wins at the Gold Coast, the latter coming in a two year-old quality handicap where he lumped 58.5 kilos and overcame barrier 13. Trainer Dan Bougoure (once upon a time the strapper of the great mid-1980s galloper Strawberry Road) knew he had a good ‘un and remained patient, sending him out for another spell.
Next seen as a three year-old in September 1999, Falvelon won a Class-6 race at Eagle Farm before heading south to Melbourne, first to win a three year-old handicap at Caulfield carrying 59 kilos and then on to Flemington, where he won the Group 3 Chivas Regal Stakes on VRC Derby Day. He was now unbeaten through seven starts and with the Melbourne ‘Triple Crown’ of Group 1 sprints awaiting in the autumn, his spring campaign was ended here.
A small field of only six runners greeted the starter for the Group 1 Lightning Stakes in February 2000, as Falvelon put his unbeaten record on the line. The record would not survive this outing though – despite a gallant effort, he was unable to stave off the challenge of Testa Rossa and had to settle for second.
More of the same was to follow in his next two runs – he found one better in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate when finishing second to Sports, then in a capacity field for the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington ran third to Miss Pennymoney and subsequent Group 1 Galaxy Handicap winner Black Bean. Despite being beaten in all three major races, his reputation had not been tarnished at all, returning to Brisbane for a brief let-up and a tilt at winter riches.
Unsurprisingly given his strong Melbourne form against the best sprinters in the country, Falvelon resumed his winning ways at home in the Group 2 BTC Cup at Doomben and went into the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 as a warm favourite. However a poor start in the 10,000 would prove costly, as he ran strongly but all too late in finishing third to Mr. Innocent.
His final run of the campaign would come in the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, where he ran solidly without winning once again, finishing fifth to Landsighting in his first ever unplaced run. His overall record had now slipped to eight wins and four placings from 13 starts and whilst he had proven himself worthy of a position amongst the upper echelon of sprinters, thoughts of him taking the sprinting world by storm had now dissipated.
The spring of 2000 would prove to be his most successful preparation. He began with a win in the Group 2 Schillaci Stakes and followed that with a win in the Group 2 Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley. A wet track and 57 kilos brought him undone in the Group 1 Salinger Stakes where he finished tenth to Easy Rocking, before the first of three trips overseas for the Hong Kong Sprint.
In 2000 the Hong Kong Sprint was still well and truly in its infancy, having only been run for the first time the year prior. However its stature grew quickly – Fairy King Prawn, an on-again, off-again rival of the mighty Kiwi mare Sunline, had won the first instalment and by the fourth running in 2002, the race had reached Group 1 status.
The 2000 edition was run as a Group 3 though and with Damien Oliver aboard, the Queenslander scorched turf to run 56.7 seconds and capture a (then) rare international victory for Australia, helping to create overseas interest in Australian sprinters. Falvelon had now won 11 and placed in a further four of his 17 career starts and while a Group 1 remained elusive, five wins at Group level had been attained.
An overseas trip late in 2000 meant a later-than-usual start to his autumn campaign in April 2001, resuming in the Group 1 Galaxy Handicap with a ninth placed finish behind Padstow. From there it was on to the Group 3 (nowadays Group 1) TJ Smith a fortnight later, where he ran an excellent third to Century Kid despite drawing the extreme outside barrier in a field of 16 which included the likes of Testa Rossa, Spinning Hill and Mr. Innocent.
His final race of the 2001 autumn involved a return home to Brisbane for a second crack at the Doomben 10,000 and a rematch with Spinning Hill, who had defeated him in the TJ Smith. The tables would be turned in the second encounter though, as Falvelon atoned for his defeat the previous year and finally captured his first Group 1 victory – a fitting note on which to conclude his preparation.
Four runs over a period of almost four months made for a stop-start campaign through the late winter, spring and early summer of 2001. His first-up run came in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley, where on a wet track he ran third to Piavonic and Sunline. Narrow misses were to follow in his next two runs, a close up third to Mistegic in the Schillaci Stakes and a bob-of-the-head loss to Belle De Jour in the Group 2 (now Group 1) Linlithgow Stakes.
A defence of his Hong Kong Sprint (by now a Group 2) crown was the final piece of the 2001 puzzle. In another display of how effective Australian sprinters are on the world stage (something we’ll come back to a few times during the Spring Stars series), he ran 57 seconds neat on a dead track to take down the international competition once again and end a preparation of near misses on a high note.
Once again his autumn campaign begun later than most, resuming in the TJ Smith in mid April. As was the case in 2001 his first-up effort, this performance would be underwhelming by his usual high standards as he finished eighth behind long shot winner Phoenix Park.
This poor first-up run would be quickly forgotten though as he ran a narrow second to Lord Essex in the BTC Cup and then successfully defended his Doomben 10,000 crown before returning to Eagle Farm for a second tilt at the Stradbroke Handicap. He ran a tremendous race in the Stradbroke and for a moment looked as if he would hold on and win, but was run down in the shadows of the post by Show A Heart (an eventual four-time Group 1 winner in his own right).
Now a six year-old, Falvelon would have a competitive spring in 2002 without winning. First-up he was edged out by Spinning Hill in the Schillaci Stakes, then ran fifth to her (albeit beaten by only 1.1 lengths) in the Schweppes Stakes. The Linlithgow Stakes eluded him once again as he ran second to Choisir and finally he returned to Hong Kong for a third straight assault on the race. The third time would not be the charm though, as Falvelon ran third to All Thrills Too before heading out for a well earned spell.
2003 would bring with it limited joy for Falvelon and his connections. Two March runs in Melbourne would result in unplaced finishes before a return to Brisbane led to another BTC Cup win, the highpoint of his campaign.
The final two runs of his career were a sixth to Bel Esprit in the Doomben 10,000 and a ninth behind outstanding filly Private Steer in the Stradbroke Handicap. Nonetheless, public sentiment was still behind Falvelon even after a disappointing final campaign – he had been too good for too long to be forgotten or dismissed lightly. Besides which, a new life as a stallion lay in wait.
The memories
As I was thumbing through Falvelon’s race record for the purposes of putting this column together, a thought crossed my mind: had I viewed his career through rose-coloured glasses? Was his overall record flattered by opening with seven straight wins in lower grades before he won only eight of his last 30 starts?
The though briefly passed through that he might have been too much of a ‘nearly’ horse for a selection such as this – that perhaps he found one or two better than him a little too often. To assuage myself that this wasn’t the case, I scribbled down a list of his performances in the ‘criteria races’ for this series – the list shook out as per below:
Lightning Stakes (second); Newmarket Handicap (third); Salinger Stakes (tenth); Linlithgow Stakes (second, second); Oakleigh Plate (second); Schillaci Stakes (first, third, second); Manikato Stakes (third); Australia Stakes (fourth); Galaxy Handicap (ninth); TJ Smith (third, eighth); BTC Cup (first, second, first); Doomben 10,000 (third, first, first, sixth)
That is 21 starts in ‘Sprinting Stars criteria races’ for five wins, six seconds and five thirds. How many other horses can boast 16 top-3 finishes in these races AND two wins and a third placing in international sprints? Extending that theory further, how many sprinters win nine races at Group level?
Sometimes it is quite difficult to compare the careers of horses who race over a significant number of years (think Schillaci, Mahogany and Falvelon) with those whose careers were brilliant but more fleeting (think General Nediym or going back a touch further, a horse like Zedative).
To my mind longevity matters, if for no other reason than performing at an exceptional level for say five years is more impressive than doing so for two. You could argue an excellent case that at no point was Falvelon the absolute standout sprinter of Australian racing. But it is even easier to argue that his overall career achievements surpass all bar a select few, and therefore a place among modern day Sprinting Stars is entirely deserved.
The stats
Overall record: 37 starts, 15 wins (2 x Group 1s, 5 x Group 2s, 2 x Group 3s), seven seconds, six thirds, $3,929,855 prize money
2YO spring/ summer (1998): Two starts, two wins
2YO autumn (1999): Two starts, two wins
3YO spring (1999): Three starts, three wins (1 x G3)
3YO autumn/ winter (2000): Six starts, one win (1 x G2), two seconds, two thirds
4YO spring/ summer (2000): Four starts, three wins (2 x G2, 1 x G3)
4YO autumn/ winter (2001): Three starts, one win (1 x G1), one third
5YO spring/ summer (2001): Four starts, one win (1 x G2), one second, two thirds
5YO autumn/ winter (2002): Four starts, one win (1 x G1), two seconds
6YO spring (2002): Four starts, two seconds, one third
6YO autumn/ winter (2003): Five starts, one win (1 x G2)
Turf Heroes series
Just in case you missed them the first time around, links to each of our Turf Heroes series are below:
(1) Super Impose, (2) Better Loosen Up, (3) Let’s Elope,(4) Octagonal, (5) Saintly, (6) Might and Power, (7) Sunline, (8) Northerly, (9) Lonhro, (10) Makybe Diva
