Falbrav (28 February 1998 – 12 January 2024) was a Thoroughbred racehorse and sire, bred in Ireland but trained in Italy and the United Kingdom during his racing career which ran from 2000 to 2004.
Falbrav, a "massive, bull-like"[1] bay horse with three white feet and a small star, was bred in Ireland by the Italian Azienda Agricola Francesca.
[8] His end of season rating of 113[9] made him the best three-year-old in Italy, but placed him sixteen pounds below the European champion Galileo, suggesting that he would struggle against top class international competition.
In May he won the Group 1 Premio Presidente della Repubblica, taking the lead a furlong from home and beating the odds-on Godolphin colt Ekraar by one and a quarter lengths.
[14] The rest of the field included such major winners as Golan, Storming Home, Indigenous, Bright Sky and Jungle Pocket (2001 Tokyo Yushun and Japan Cup).
[17] Cumani was impressed by Falbrav, saying that he looked "a million dollars", but early plans were flexible, with the owners undecided about whether to campaign the horse in Europe or Japan.
Cumani felt that the horse had been forced to take the lead earlier than was ideal but was keen to praise him, describing him "full of confidence and power" and comparing him to "a heavyweight boxer.
[21] He returned to Ascot for the one and a half mile King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, where he raced prominently before weakening into fifth place behind Alamshar.
[22] Falbrav next travelled to Leopardstown for the Irish Champion Stakes, in which he "just failed"[24] to catch High Chaparral, having struggled to find space to run in a rough race.
[25] He then proved his versatility by moving down to the one-mile distance and beating the 1,000 Guineas winner Russian Rhythm in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, recording the second fastest time in the race's history.
The argument was centred on the fact that Hawk Wing's rating was based on one performance (in the Lockinge Stakes), whereas Falbrav had raced at a consistently high standard from April to December.