26 March 2019
Photos scoopdyga.com
The first classic feelings of the season follow one another as the traditional preparations loom. The Prix La Force and Vanteaux (Gr3), Sunday, April 7 for the reopening of ParisLongchamp, the Djebel and Imprudence (Gr3), April 10 at Maisons-Laffitte, then the Prix de Fontainebleau and the Grotte (Gr3), as well as the Prix Noailles (Gr3), April 12 in ParisLongchamp again, will play their part. Meanwhile at Saint-Cloud ...
This Tuesday at Saint-Cloud, no group race on the card but already some hopefuls to check out in the Prix François Mathet (L), for 3 years on 2,100 metres. The race ended in a dogfight between Marseilles' Talk or Listen (Alhebayeb) and Berkshire raider Surrey Thunder (Le Havre), who was running for the first time in France. The former finally put his head down on the wire.
The winner is trained by Frédéric Rossi and is owned by Patrick Dreux and Christian Cimolai. He was third in the Prix Policeman a month ago, a race regarded for a long time as the Winter Derby at Cagnes. Bred in Ireland by Tom Darcy and Vincent McCarthy, he was sold as a yearling in England for £ 32,000 to Con Marnane, who could not part with him at the breeze-up sales but got him claimed in August at Vichy for a whopping € 25,555 (€ 11,555 more than its claiming tag) by his current owners.
None of the first two is entered in a classic race so far though.
On the other hand, it is the case of 3yo filly Noor Sahara (Lope de Vega, main photo), pleasant winner, by two lengths and for her return, of the Prix Kizil Kourghan, a class 2 race. She is racing for Jean-Louis Bouchard and is trained by Fabrice Chappet. It was her first win in her 3rd trial. She made € 140,000 at the Arqana August sales, consigned by Coulonces Sales (Anna Sundström) and sold to Chantilly Bloodstock (Gérard Larrieu).
In the male version of this class 2 race, the Prix Comrade, Tel Aviv (Nathaniel) was also quite convincing as he also won by two lengths, keeping the rail all the way through. Winner at 2 then second for his comeback on 9 furlongs, on both occasions at Fontainebleau, he held on this time over the mile and stood out of reach of the favourite, the returning Bleu Marine (Dark Angel).
Bred by the Haras du Quesnay, he was also sold at Arqana for € 35,000 to Scuderia Felt. He is now running for Paolo Ferrario under the training of Andrea Marcialis. He is a brother to Gotlandia (Anabaa), a Listed winner. He is entered in the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1).
The Prix de la Porte de Madrid (L) is a 4yo+ contest over one mile and a half. Wertheimer&Frere homebred Folamour (Intello) finally got his stablemate, the gelding Ziyad (Rock of Gibraltar), at the post while another gelding, Good Question (Manduro) from Marseilles, also kept on to finish 3rd, one month after his Grand Prix of Department 06 (L) win at Cagnes-sur-Mer. Folamour finished fourth in last year's Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1), and he had not run since his third place in the Prix du Prince d'Orange (Gr3).
Folamour is the fourth foal out of Zagzig (Selkirk), who won over 2,100 metres in Senonnes, for her third race and then took several places in good handicaps under the training of Carlos Laffon-Parias. His younger brother Slalom (Intello), entered in both the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1) and the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1), has won his two races so far at Clairefontaine and Chantilly for trainer André Fabre. An Oasis Dream filly was born in 2018.