8 May 2017
photo scoopdyga.com
A long and busy weekend allowed us to learn a few things about the upcoming French classics, even though the news were not quite what most expected ...
The Prix Greffulhe (Gr2) is one of the main French prep races for the Derbies. It is run on a left-hand track and can therefore be used as a test for Epsom, even though Saint-Cloud is rather flat.
It seems however like the latest Greffulhe winner Recoletos (Whipper) will be supplemented in the French Derby, the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1) after he dominated the two favorites saddled by André Fabre, the returning Waldgeist (Galileo), winner of the Critérium de Saint-Cloud (Gr1) at the end of last season, and Akihiro (Deep Impact).
The representative of Darpat France, the breeding organization of the Hinojosas, a Spanish family who breeds in Normandy, took off with about one furlong to go and was never under threat with his two main rivals arguing for second place two and a half lengths behind him.
The Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained colt is now unbeaten in three outings this year and his trainer said on Equidia, France's racing channel, that he intends to supplement him in the QIPCO Prix Jockey Club on June 3rd for €72,000, a little less than what his owners netted in the Greffulhe (74,100 €, plus 64% in Owners' premiums since Recoletos is a Frenchbred).
Recoletos's dam Highphar (Highest Honor) never made it to the track because she was injured only days before joining Laffon-Parias' yard, where Pharatta (Fairy King), Highphar's dam, a winner of the Garden City Handicap (Gr2) in New York before entering stud, had been before.
24 hours before the Greffulhe, a very similar script materialized at Chantilly racecourse in the Prix de Guiche (Gr3), another springboard towards the major June Classics won last season by European champion Almanzor. Over a soft turf, Phelps Win (Muhtathir) left the favorite Plumatic (Dubawi) struggling more than three lentghs behind at the end of the 9-furlongs trip. Trained by Henri-Alex Pantall for Corsican breeder-owner Nadine Chiari, Phelps Win would also have won three times this season had he not failed by a neck against Graphite in the Prix La Force (Gr3) last time out.
On Saturday at Maisons-Laffitte, the younger brother to champion miler Vadamos, 3yo Volfango (Dutch Art), won for his debut in the Prix Mississipian for in-form owner-breeder Haras de Saint-Pair, while in the Prix Volterra (L), 3yo filly Charm Appeal (Canford Cliffs) won her third race in four outings for another in-form owner, Rebbeca Hillen, from Britain: her silks won on Tuesday, May 2nd, in Lyon with 3yo debutante Enthrall (Bernardini), then at Maisons-Laffitte on Saturday, and finally on Sunday in the Prix Maurice Zilber (L) thanks to Haggle (Pivotal) , all trained by Henri-François Devin and ridden by Alexis Badel!
The last group race of this big weekend on both sides of the Channel, the Prix d'Hédouville (Gr3), crowned 5yo Tiberian (Tiberius Caesar), who defeated the favorite Talismanic (Medaglia d'Oro) and succeeded One Foot in Heaven (Fastnet Rock) in that race, a potential springboard to the Grand Prix de Chantilly (Gr2, June 3rd). The horse is trained in Senonnes, Maine-et-Loire, by Alain Couétil, who saddled the 2015 winner of the same race, Meleagros (King's Best). With a majority stake owned by Haras du Logis and Australian Thoroughbred, he could very well end up waving a French flag in Melbourne, one fine day ...