January maiden winners

SCHHILI (F3), (IRE) by Kodiac ex Galaxie Sud (El Prado)
Prix du Rond Fille de l’Air (Maiden 3yo fillies, 1,600m AWT), January 31, Chantilly

Owner :  Paul Nataf
Trainer : Henri-Alex Pantall
Breeder :  Haras d’Étreham
Rider : Maxime Guyon

Tweleve fillies lined up inclusing two outstanding behinners in Terrestre (Motivator), a sister to champion filly Elusive Kate (Elusive Quality), and Krunch (Sea the Stars), out the British Listed winner Spinacre (Verglas).

The former failed to make a winning debut and the second held on well in 3rd but it was all about Schhili (Kodiac) and Grace Béré (Pedro the Great), who both fought for the prize to the end. Both fillies had made their way by the rail although the former, who prevailed by a short-head, had to go wide to find her way after following the latter.

It was third trial in six weeks for Schhili after a 4th place on this track and a 5th place at Deauville. She had been entered since October though.

Schhili is out of Galaxie Sud (El Prado), daughter of the Gr1 filly Germance (Silver Hawk) and a winner herself at Deauville. Sold in December 2017 at Deauville by Haras d’Étreham for €18,000 in foal to Wootton Bassett, Galaxie Sud had given a filly by Make Believe and Graziana is the filly she was carrying at Deauville when sold to scuderia Micolo.

As for Schhili, she went twice on Arqana's ring : sold €6,000 as a yearling and then last Summer when Paul Nataf secured her for €12,000.

THE SINGER (C3), FRA by Charm Spirit ex Lykea (Oasis Dream)
Prix du Rond du Manège (Maiden 3yo colts & geldings, 1,600m AWT), January 31, Chantilly

Owner :  Cheik Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Thani
Trainer : Freddy Head
Breeder :  SCEA du Haras de Victot
Rider : Benjamin Marie

One of the four unraced runners in this maiden The Singer (Charm Spirit) however made a big difference in the end. He'd let Navalmoral (Charm Spirit) take the lead early on but took over in the straight and took off to score by two lengths in front of The Chosen One (Cacique).

Lykea (Oasis Drem), the winner's dam, was bought for €55,000 in December at Arqana breeding sales in foal to Charm Spirit but she was paid €160,000 at the same venue four years ago when bought by SCEA du Haras de Victot.

Lykea won three races and finished 3rd in a 1,100m Listed race. The Singer is her 2nd foal after Qatar Sunshine (Kendargent), winner at Moulins and in a Chantilly claimer. She has since then given a Makfi filly and a Charm Spirit colt.

FAIRMONT (G3), FRA by Orpen ex Figurelibre (Verglas)
Prix Artus (Maiden 3yo Colts & Geldings, 1,900m AWT), January 25, Chantilly

Owner :  Michael Motschmann
Trainer : Christophe Ferland
Breeder :  Michael Motschmann
Rider : Christophe Soumillon

Gelded in June, 4th for his September debut at Bordeaux over the mile, Fairmont (Orpen) was entered but not confirmed twice soon after that and he was coming back here after a 4 months spell. Yet he won very easily, in a matter of strides, after waiting quietly within the field.

The grey mare Figurelibre (Verglas), his dam, won a handicap for Chatelperron before being sold €25,000 at the Deauville sales, in foal to Authorized. She hadn't attracted more attention when raced as a claimer at €16,000 for what was to become her last race.

She's out of Stash the Ice (Daylami), winner of two races for Marquesa de Moratalla and herself out of Valley Quest (Rainbow Quest), a Listed winner whose sister gave the globe-trotting Kandidate (Kabool).

SERENDIPITE (F3), FRA by Le Havre ex Instant (Gone West)
Prix Biribi (Maiden 3yo Fillies, 1,900m AWT), January 25, Chantilly

Owners :  Normandy Spirit & La Vallée Martigny
Trainer : Freddy Head
Breeder :  La Vallée Martigny
Rider : Aurélien Lemaître

9th in October at Deauville on the turf and then 4th in November, also in Deauville but on the all-weather track, finishing well, Serendipité (Le Havre) just took an edge on for her Chantilly debut over a front-running Visorana (Rock of Gibraltar). Sakura Zensen (Planteur) finished well in 3rd.

Serendipité was paid €110,000 at Arqana in August 2017, when consigned by the haras des Capucines. Her dam Instant (Gone West) was bred by Juddmonte Farms. Instant only ran once, at Compiègne. She was later sold at Tattersalls for 17,000 Guienas, then €22,000 three months later in Ireland, and finally for 60,000 Guineas in December that year 2012, again at Tattersalls bearing a Pour Moi foal. She's out of the American mare Flute (Seattle Slew), winner of the Kentucky Oaks (Gr1) and the Alabama Stakes (Gr1).

BECQUAGOLD (C3), FRA by Orpen ex Berangele (Medaaly)
Prix de Chasseloup (Maiden 3yos, 1,300m AWT), January 13, Chantilly

Owners :  Virginie Becquart, Paul & Robert Schlienger
Trainer : Olivier Trigodet
Breeders :  Bernard Becquart, Paul & Robert Schlienger
Rider : Ioritz Mendizabal

It was a 4^th try for Becquagold (Orpen), who had just finished seventh, finishing nicely but still rather green. This time, for his debut on such a short distance, he resisted until the end to the English raider Glorious Emaraty (George Vancouver), showing a good attitude after taking a narrow lead about 100 yards out, while Adelante (Zoffany) also finished well just behind them.

Trained by Olivier Trigodet at La Teste, Becquagold was in Osarus breeze up sale in May 2018 but was not presented by his breeders, who remained his owners, like those of his dam Berangele (Medaaly), who ran fourteen times, most of the time in the South-West, without being able to get on a podium. She was ridden on three occasions, including for her debut, by Olivier Trigodet, Becquagold’s handler, 14 years before he moved on from rider to trainer!

Bérangèle is a sister to Becqu'Adorée (Nombre Premier), winner of the Prix Frédéric de Lagrange (L), the Vichy Derby, and Bertranicus (Take Risks), winner of of the Prix Jacques de Brémond (L) ... also in Vichy! Becquagold is the seventh and last foal to date out of Bérangèle.

COME BACK (F3), GB by Toronado ex Camp Fire (Lahib)
Prix de la Gare de Da Lat (Maiden 3yo fillies, 1,500m AWT), January 5, Deauville

Owners :  Écurie Brillantissime, Khalifa Mohammed al Attiyah, Écurie Castillon Bloodstock, SAS I.E.I., Chauvigny Global Equine Sasu, Emmanuel Boutin
Trainer : Mathieu Brasme
Breeder : J. L. Skinner
Rider : Tony Piccone

The race is named after a Vietnamese train station inspired by the Trouville-Deauville one. Come Back (Toronado) finally won after four unsuccessful yet encouraging attempts, including a 6th place in the Prix des Sablonnets (L) on the same course and distance. She ened up very close to the 3rd that day and could just as well have been closer in a Listed event dominated by two British raiders.

She started well and went cosily by the rail behind the front runner until Tony Piccone, who was riding her for the first time, let hjer go entering the final straight and then kept herself ahead of a fast finishing Sunbird (Evasive), only beaten by a neck.

Come Back was sold £24,000 as a weanling at tattersalls to SCEA des Prairies, and then €40,000 yearling at Goffs Ireland before being bought back £40,000 by Morna McDowall at the Tattersalls Breeze-Up.

Her dam Camp Fire (Lahib), now 22, won and went to stud to give Kumbeshwar (Doyen), a winner of 10 jumping races at the top level in Britain.

ADMIRAL ROUS (C3), IRE by Henrythenavigator ex Bulrushes (Byron)
Prix de la Gare de Pointe-Noire (Maiden 3yo colts and geldings, 1,500m AWT), January 5, Deauville

Owners :  Susan Davis & Melissa O’Neill
Trainer : Eoghan O’Neill
Breeder : Bluegate Stud
Rider : Cristian Demuro

This time it was an African copy of the Trouville-Deauville station that inspired the name of the race, the Pointe-Noire station in République du Congo. Admiral Rous (Henrythenavigator) had already finished three times in the frame and twice 4th in his five previous attempts. He started well and let Alpatkinoss (Diamond Green) take the lead, dived to the rail entering the last straight to go and catch Galoubet (Makfi), who was trying to run away. Admiral Rous made short work of that though and won by two lengths, while Carolingien (Kendargent) finished 3rd two more lengths behind.

Eoghan O’Neill paid €47,000 at Tattersalls Ireland to secure Admiral Rous as a yearling. He's a son of Bulrushes (Byron), an unraced mare who already gave Ross Castle (Bushranger), a Prix Texanita (Gr3) winner for trainer Matthieu Palussière in 2016. She also has a 2yo by Rock of Gibraltar.

SVEA (F3), FRA by Sinndar ex Artistica (Spectrum)
Prix de la Perdrière (Maiden 3yo fillies, 1,900m AWT), January 4, Deauville

Owner :  Lutz Bongen
Trainer : Markus et Stéphanie Nigge
Breeder : Nils Jansson
Rider : Hugo Journiac

The unraced Svea (Sinndar) took a bad start, veering outside with a 16 draw. She however gradually came back in the race, making progress alongside the field to join the leaders entering the last straight. As the favourite Ababeel (Dansili) was making her way forward after tracking the leaders, Svea still had enough juice to catch her up and fight all the way to the end. She scored by a nose.

The grey Svea was bought as a weanling by her trainer Markus Nigge for €11,000 at the Arqana breeding sale. Her dam Artistica (Spectrum) herself cost £15,000 in foal to Footstepsinthesand a year later at Tattersalls, where her Sidestep daughter made £5,000 £ in October. Bred by Lagardère Élevage, she won twice for the Aga Khan and finished 3rd in the Prix de Royaumont (Gr3). She’s a sister to Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1) winner and sire Montmartre (Montjeu). Svea is her 5th foal and she didn’t give much before her.

BOBYDARGENT (C3), FRA by Kendargent ex Maybe (Dashing Blade)
Prix de la Barelière (Maiden 3yo colts and geldings, 1,900m AWT), January 4, Deauville

Owner :  Guy Pariente
Trainer : Jean-Pierre Gauvin
Breeder : Guy Pariente Holding
Rider : Grégory Benoist

Fifth for his debut at Lyon-Parilly over the mile, then second over 2,000 metres on the same venue, Bobydargent (Kendargent) followed the leading Into the Sound (Mastercraftsman) this time and prevailed in the last straight, leaving good finishers Fontenay (Rio de la Plata) and Truco (Sepoy) share the placings about a length behind the favourite.

Bobydargent is the 5th foal out of Maybe (Dashing Blade), whom owner Guy Pariente claimed after a Chantilly win. She immediately went on to finish 4th - and last! - in the du Prix Frédéric de Lagrange (L), Vichy’s Derby. She wasn’t able to make the frame after that in seven attempts in handicaps and finished her career on a 57lbs mark. She proved better at stud however. She’s the dam of Maybewave (Gentlewave), a 2^nd in the valuable Prix Wild Monarch 3yo Beginners Hurdle (L) at Auteuil, and then two winners including Kenbest (Kendargent), now racing in the French Antilles after changing owner twice in claimers in France.

A Galiway filly was bred in 2018.