5 May 2019
Photo scoopdyga.com
The 4-year-old gelding Petit Fils (Makfi) won the Prix d'Hédouville (Gr3) from start to finish on Saturday at ParisLongchamp, resisting until the end to the favourite Folamour (Intello), who had taken a sluggish start and failed only by a head.
Trained by Jean-Pierre Gauvin for his breeders Mathieu Offenstadt, Sylvain Fargeon and Rodolphe Collet, Petit Fil was tackling a group field for the first time but Théo Bachelot gave him a fine ride to score here under strong pressure. This son of the French-trained Two Thousand Guineas winner Makfi, who also belonged to Offenstadt, was winning his fifth race in eleven attempts, and he never finished worse than second except once, for his return this season on the Chantilly all-weather track. Winner of the Prix Lord Seymour (L) on this course and distance last time out, Nagano Gold (Sixties Icon) finished third at two lengths.
Petit Fils is out of Mamie Zane (Orpen), who won six times in the West of France for Mathieu Offenstadt before entering stud. She had cost € 16,000 as a yearling. Before Petit Fils, she gave another Makfi foal, a filly named Philomena (Makfi), now 5 and winner of four races. She made more than € 100,000 in allowances and premiums for the same connections than her younger brother.
The Wertheimers were probably sorry to see victory elude them with Folamour but they can, on the other hand, rejoice in the success of Bartaba (Deep Impact) in the EBF-sponsored Prix Gold River (L). She won by a short head at the expense of Godolphin's Magical Touch (Dubawi) at the end of this 14 furlongs-race. The fourth dam of the winner is none other than the 1981 Arc-winner Gold River (Riverman) herself. The champion mare who is celebrated by this race was bred by Jacques Wertheimer, the father of the Wertheimer brothers, Alain and Gerard, now at the helm of Wertheimer & Frere.
In the Prix de l'Avre (L), over a mile-and-a-half, the English raider Jalmoud (New Approach) overcame Soft Light (Authorized), who had attacked first after the final bend and conceded a head on the wire after long seeming to hold his rivals in check. The winner was ridden by Olivier Peslier for Godolphin. He's in the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1) and the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1).
Over the 11 furlongs of the Prix de la Seine (L), open to 3-year-old fillies, a runner trained in Germany by Hans Grewe but born in Calvados, Amarena (Soldier Hollow), largely dominated Eliade (Teofilo). She does hold any classic entry in France and had just won for her debut in Düsseldorf.