7 April 2022
Photo scoopdyga.com
April, Deauville
Prix Djebel
Group 3, 3-year-old Colts and Geldings, 1,400m/7f, €80,000
Created in 1949
Last winner: Rock Boy (m3, FRA par Rock of Gibraltar et Frasque, par Iffraaj), appartenant à Team Calas, élevé par Legendary Rent Club, entraîné par Richard Chotard, monté par Mickaël Barzalona.
Record time: 1'23''00, Le Havre (2019).
The race would be run in 2023 for the 94th time
The 2022 edition
April 7, 2022, Deauville-La Touques Racecourse (Calvados). - The French Classic season traditionally starts with the Prix Djebel (Gr3) and its fillies version, the Prix Imprudence. Now run at Deauville over the 7-furlong straight course, the Prix Djebel gathered 7 runners, most entered in the Emirates Poule d’Essai, the Qatar Jockey Club and the Grand Prix de Paris.
With a going stick reading "Heavy, soft in places", two small lines were formed, headed by Nesr Shalghoda (Due Diligence) and Kingentleman (Kingman). The favourite, the Aga Khan's Liyann (Le Havre), who had won twice at 2 before proving disappointing on a softer turf, got the perfect trip but couldn't keep up with the fastest horses and finished 4th. Rock Boy (Rock of Gibraltar) followed him and waited as long as possible before his final, decisive move, beating the Prix Montenica (Listed) winner Loubeisien (Kheleyf) by one length, while the Prix Herod (Listed) winner My Fancy (Myboycharlie) stayed on at 2 lengths after a nice effort three out. The winning time is 1’29’’30, the slowest since 2008. The winner was the fastest runner two to one furlong out, and in the final furlong with sectional times of 11’’86 and then 13’’31.
It was Rock Boy's first trial over such a short distance. he had won for his debut at Vichy over the mile in September, and then over 9 furlongs at Marseille-Borély. He's now unbeaten in three races over three different courses and three different trips.
Entered in the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Rock Boy races for Team Calas, a partnership made of 12 stakeholders, namely Serge Mayan, Guy-Roger Petit, Michel Perret, l'écurie Ascot, Christian Faure, Henry Salemme, Richard Olivier, Richard Chotard, Serge Tardy, Thierry Gagliano, l'écurie des Dragons and Elisabeth Mezquita. For his trainer Richard Chotard, it was a first Group win over the flat after many more over jumps.
Rock Boy was bred by Legendary Rent Club, like his older brother Alastor (Helmet), a Gr2-placed in Italy sold at Arqana 2021 Autumn sale to Harold Kirk, Willie Mullins and PR Bloodstock for €150,000. As for Rock Boy, he was paid € 16,000 by HSV at Arqana.
This bloodline performed in Europe and in the USA as Rock Boy's second dam Khassah (Green Desert), 2nd in one Fillies’ Mile (Gr1), gave birth to a Prix Thomas Bryon (Gr3) winner, Makaan (Swain), then sold to the US, and to another black-type performer, Almail (Swain).
History
Like the Prix Imprudence, this race was first run in 1949. It is an important trial outing for both the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and the Two Thousand Guineas. The race is named after a great French horse who won the Guineas in 1940 and went on to become a champion breeder. The Prix Djebel has been an important step on the road to the Classic races from its very first edition when its winner, Amour Drake, went on to win the Poule d’Essai before being beaten by a short head in the English Derby. Guersant pulled off a similar feat in 1952, but another 4 decades would pass before a Prix Djebel winner, L’Émigrant, went on to win the Poule D’Essai (1983). Another Stavros Niarchos-owned colt, Kingmambo, did the double in 1993. Style Vendôme is the last colt to have won both the Prix Djebel and the French Two Thousand, in 2013.
Kashmir II (1966) did the Prix Djebel-Two Thousand Guineas double, as did Nureyev (1980), even though he's been demoted to fourth, however, after he was adjudged to have interfered with another horse. The Prix Djebel has often been a happy race for horses known for their turn of speed: L’Épinay (1961), Takawalk (1964), The Marshal (1965), Whipper (2004), Stormy River (2006) and two Prix du Jockey Club winners: Astec (1967) and Le Havre (2009). The quality of the 2009 winner was one of the reasons the race was promoted from a listed race to boasting Group III status in 2010.
The race was listed until 2009, the year it was promoted to Group 3. It has been run at Evry over 1,300 meters in 1995 and 1996, at Longchamp in 2001, at Deauville in 2018, and again at Deauville now with the closing of the Maisons-Laffitte racecourse at the end of the 2019 season. The race was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Djebel
A bay foaled in 1937 at the Fresnay-le-Buffard stables, out of Tourbillon and Loïka (Gay Crusader). Bred and owned by Marcel Boussac, he ran 22 times between the ages of 2 and 5, taking the laurels on 15 occasions and finishing in the frame 7 times. He crossed the channel as a 2-year-old to win the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. His Classic year was disturbed by the war but not before he ran off with the Two Thousand Guineas. He triumphed three times as a four-year-old and finished second in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (behind Maurepas) and third in the l’Arc de Triomphe behind Le Pacha and Nepenthe. As a five-year-old, he ran in seven races and won on each occasion – a fantastic achievement. Perhaps his most memorable victory came in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (run at Longchamp that year), when he piped Le Pacha to the post after a titanic struggle down the home straight. He crowned a magnificent racing career by winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in his stride.
Djebel enjoyed an excellent career at stud and was crowned best stallion in 1948 and 1949. Coronation, Apollonia, Montenica, Djebellica, Djelfa, Arbèle, Janiari were amongst his female progeny, while his male produce included Galcador, My Babu, Arbar, Djeddah, Djelal, Argur, Marveil, Hugh Lupus and Clarion. He died on 30 July 1958 at Fresnay-le-Buffard at the ripe old age of twenty-one. At the time of his death, some 21 of his sons were enjoying careers at stud.
Owner (since 1979)
- Stavros Niarchos (6 wins): Nureyev (1980), L'Emigrant (1983), Machiavellian (1990), Kingmambo (1993), Psychobabble (1994), Byzantium (1996).
Trainers (since 1979)
- François Boutin (7 wins): Nureyev (1980), Zino (1982), L'Emigrant (1983), Machiavellian (1990), Ganges (1991), Kingmambo (1993), Psychobabble (1994).
- André Fabre (5 wins): Ocean Falls (1989), Pennekamp (1995), Massalani (2002), Al Wukair (2017) & Munitions (2019).
- Jean-Claude Rouget (4 wins): Ippon (1998), Mister Charm (2003), US Ranger (2007) & Le Havre (2009).
- Robert Collet (3 wins): Whipper (2004), Salut Thomas (2005) & Salut l’Africain (2008).
- Nicolas Clément (3 wins): Stormy River (2006), French Fifteen (2012) & Style Vendome (2013).
Riders (since 1979)
- Olivier Peslier (6 wins): Fantastic Fellow (1997), Berkoutchi (1999), Massalani (2002), Surfrider (2011), French Fifteen (2012), Charm Spirit (2014).
- Alfred Gibert (3 wins): Diamond Propsect (1981), Diamada (1984) & Saint Andrews (1987).
- Cash Asmussen (5 wins): L’Emigrant (1983), Highest Honor (1986), Ocean Falls (1989), Kingmambo (1993), Psychobabble (1994).
- Christophe Lemaire (3 wins): US Ranger (2007), Le Havre (2009) & Makfi (2010).
- Thierry Thulliez (3 wins): Danger Over (2000), Stormy River (2006) & Style Vendome (2013).
- Mickaël Barzalona (3 wins) : Ride Like The Wind (2015), Munitions (2019), Rock Boy (2022).