3 June 2017
Photo Arqana
Epsom Derby (Gr1) winner Wings of Eagles (Pour Moi) was bred in Normandy by Aliette and Gilles Forien at their Haras de Montaigu. No Frenchbred had won the Blue Ribbon of the turf since Sea Bird, back in 1965. Out of the excellent dam Ysoldina (Kendor), also bred by the Foriens and third in the 2005 French 1,000 Guineas (Gr1) under the care of Alain de Royer Dupré, Wings of Eagles was sold € 220,000 as a yealring at the Arqana August 2015 sale to Michael-Vincent Magnier, the son of one of his co-owners, Sue Magnier, partner of Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor.
His trainer Aidan O'Brien also trains the second, the favoured Cliff of Moher (Galileo), while third-placed Cracksman (Frankel) was another favourite. His final dash reminds his sire's finish in the same race in 2011, the André Fabre-trained Pour Moi (Montjeu).
Cliff of Moher beat Bay of Poets (Lope de Vega) in the Dee Stakes (L) at Chester last time out and the latter has been supplemented by Godolphin stable in the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1), aka the French Derby, in which Wings of Eagles had also been entered. It was also at Chester that Wings of Eagles finished second on his seasonal return at the Chester's Roodee in the Chester Vase (Gr3). At 2, he had finished 9th in the Critérium de Saint-Cloud won by the one Waldgeist (Galileo), who had long been aimed at the Derby but was finally rerouted towards the French classic. Will they finally meet up in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1), where they are both entered ? Unless of course they wait until the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr1) ...
After Wings of Eagles, Ysoldina gave a colt by Holy Roman Emperor sold 130,000 € last year at Arqana to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, then a filly by Kingman.