4 October 2021
Photo scoopdyga.com
The British raider Space Blues, representing the Godolphin stable, didn’t stand on ceremony in the Qatar Prix de la Forêt. As the five-year-old, trained by Charlie Appleby, simply floored his rivals in the final stages of this group 1 prize in what has been an incredible weekend of racing at ParisLongchamp. He left Pearls Galore, trained in Ireland by Paddy Twomey but owned by the Haras Saint-Pair, the Norman stud of Andras Putsch, to collect second. The Japanese raider Entscheiden completed a very international podium in third!
What connections said
Charlie Appleby (the trainer of Space Blues, 1st)
« Space Blues is now a five-year-old and he has come of age. He was one of the class horses in the race. On this ground, we were worried [about his ability to handle it, but he is by Dubawi and he had no trouble in getting through it. We are very happy to end the weekend with a winner. He travels very well so we could go to the Breeders' Cup Mile. The ground is a bit fast in the US but we could take our chance. »
William Buick (the jockey of Space Blues, 1st)
« He’s a machine. He's one of my favourite horses. He's generous, easy to ride and has a lot of class. With him, you just have to sit back and wait for him to deliver his finishing kick. The Breeders' Cup Mile is a two-turn race and he’s adaptable enough to do well there. »
Crispin de Moubray (racing advisor to the Haras de Saint Pair, the owner of Pearls Galore, 2nd)
« Pearls Galore put in a magnificent effort and the only one to beat her is a very good horse. She deserves to win a group 1 race one day. It’s up to Monsieur Putsch to decide whether she stays in training next year. It’s a great story as he placed his trust in Paddy Twonery, and the reward has been: two group wins and two Group 1 seconds. Paddy Twomey is a great trainer. »
Ryusei Sakai (the jockey d'Entscheiden, 3rd)
« The horse gave his all. He loved the ground and had already run well on a soft track in Japan. At the first winning post, I believed that the race was there for the taking. He really proved courageous. »