Blue horizon at Chantilly

Sunday, April 9, Hippodrome of Chantilly. - The Godolphin stable, of Dubai, won three races, including the top contest of the day, the Prix d'Harcourt (Gr2), with odds-on favorite Cloth of Stars (Sea The Stars). The André Fabre-trained 4yo colt broke the record for the 2,000 meters trip (1 1/4 mile) in 1'58''77 by 1.6 seconds, three weeks only after setting a new race record in the Prix Exbury (Gr3) at Saint-Cloud.
Bought £ 400,000 as a yearling at the Newmarket sales, Cloth of Stars was one of the best 3yo colts in training in France last year but he did not run again after his third place in the Juddmonte Grand Prix of Paris (Gr1), in July. Cloth Of Stars reclaims his seat on the top deck of his generation as he showed a decisive resolution to go and catch the race's leader Robin of Navan (American Post) and the talented Mekhtaal (Sea The Stars), who had thrown the gauntlet earlier in the strectch for his seasonal comeback.
The next step for that lot is the Prix Ganay (Group 1), on May 1 at Saint-Cloud.
A close call in the both classics' prep races of the day, the Prix La Force (Gr3, colts) and Prix Vanteaux (Gr3, fillies). The colts went a little faster than the females, as with a time of 1'48''67, the winner Graphite (Shamardal) is only 0.5 seconds shy of the course record on the unusual 1,800 meters Chantilly trip (9 furlongs). Also trained by André Fabre for Godolphin, Graphite followed the leaders and passed them to secure a neck win, beating Phelps Win (Muthathir), also always well placed behind the leaders, and odds-on favorite Franz Schubert (Dansili), who finished like a train after a bad start, also for Godolphin and Fabre. The winner was bred in Normandy at the Haras de Saint-Pair, owned by Andreas Putsch, and was sold € 250,000 at the Arqana October yearlings sales. It was his comeback this year while the second, trained by Henri -Alex Pantall for the Corsican breeder Nadine Chiari, had just won his maiden race (race for horses who have not yet won) in Saint-Cloud.
Gold Luck (Redoute's Choice) won the Prix Vanteaux (Gr3), an eventual prep for The Gurkha Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (Gr1, 14 May in Deauville) and the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks-Gr1, 18 June in Chantilly) by a short head over race's leader Monroe Bay (Makfi) and Hebah (Sea the Stars), who finished well after waiting behind the leaders.
Trained by Freddy Head for the Wertheimers, the homebred filly is the latest foal out of Born Gold (Blushing Groom). Now retired from stud duties, this exceptional broodmare had only won once in the Provinces but she foaled 13 individual winners who earned more than eight million euros combined, more than five millions thanks to champion mare Goldikova...
A Gr3 sprint for 3 years, the Prix Sigy went to a very impressive Fas (Fastnet Rock), owned by his breeder Zalim Bifov and Alain Jathière. He left the second-placed Précieuse (Tamayuz) at 3.5 lengths in a few strides. The English favorite Mrs Danvers (Hellwelyn), unbeaten last year in five outings, faded in the last furlongs, leaving many questions unanswered in 6th place. Trained in Chantilly by Pia Brandt, Fas was also racing for the first time this term but he seems to have made a lot of progress over the winter. He could be Royal Ascot bound.
Winner of the Prix du Chemin Ferré, a fillies maiden race over 1,900 meters (PSF), Limited Edition (Kendargent) is trained by Elie Lellouche for the Senegalese breeder Moussa Mbacke, who bred him at Alec Waugh's stud farm in Normandy. A male version of the same event, the Prix du Chemin des Officiers, went to a promising Avilius (Pivotal), trained by André Fabre for ... Godolphin!