10 May 2024
The Grand Prix circuit of horse racing season kicks off in earnest on Sunday, which marks the running of the Emirates Poules d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) and the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas). These two Group 1 events - the pinnacle [of excellence] in horse racing - are reserved for the creme de la creme of the 3-year-old thoroughbred crop and act as a magnet for horses from all over Europe. The aim is to highlight the best colts/fillies of their generation, who, once their racing careers are ended, will embark on stud careers with a view to improving the thoroughbred breed.
Both ‘classics’ are run over 1,600 metres and call for a blend of speed and stamina: qualities which are much prized in racehorses. The logical next step(s) in the classic ‘calendar’ for those showing a disposition for longer distances are the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club and the Prix de Diane Longines. Both are run over 2,100 metres.
The forecast is for good to soft ground
Following a very wet winter/ early spring period, the sun has finally made an appearance in the Parisian region. The ground should be ideal come Sunday and perfect conditions should play to the strengths of all the runners. Charles de Cordon oversees the management of Longchamp and Saint-Cloud racecourses and he said (at 2.30pm on Thursday 9th May): «Good to soft ground is forecast for Sunday. Although there is a 50 per cent chance of rain materialising on Sunday afternoon. However, there will be no watering of the course between now and Sunday. The open stretch, redundant since the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe Meeting [October], will come into play again on Sunday.» The open stretch, some six metres out from the running rail, is located some 450 metres from the finishing post. The grass will be cut for the final time, and to a depth of 10 cm, on Friday.
The trotting and flat racing fraternities share a common DNA: the horse
The world of horse racing is split into trotting and flat racing. However, the bond forged between the two disciplines is growing ever closer! By way of example, Beauvatier, a leading Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains contender, and Minoushka, rated a prime contender in the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, will both defend the interests of renowned trotting stables.
Philippe Allaire is, in fact, the owner (in partnership with the Haras d’Étreham) of Beauvatier However, he has forged a reputation as a top trainer of trotters. Based in the heart of the Pays d'Auge region, or at Bouttemont to be precise, it has been the home of trotting greats such as Ready Cash, Bird Parker, Hohneck and Gai Brillant... but, above all, the handler is a horse lover. Purely for his own pleasure, he has dabbled in ‘flat’ racing ownership after acquiring some horses a few years ago. He entrusts these to the care of Yann Barberot. The latter is based at nearby Deauville. Philippe Allaire has also transmitted his passion for [English] thoroughbreds to his daughter Élisabeth, as she has become a trainer of this breed, having set up shop not far from where the family is based some two years ago.
Regarding the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, Minoushka (and Opera Mundi) will both act as conduits to the world of trotting... The fillies, trained at Maisons-Laffitte by Carlos Lerner and his son Yann, carry the colours of the Écurie des Charmes, which was founded some 20 years ago by businessman Lucien Urano (the founder of Fabio Lucci and Pizza Pino...). His pink and black colours are among the most renowned in the trotting world, but Lucien Urano also harbours a love of flat racing. Close to the Lerner family, he entrusts them with the care of the majority of his English thoroughbreds, and the two concerns have also combined to taste success at the highest level in trotting. In tandem with Lucien Urano, Carlos Lerner entered into a partnership relative to the ownership of Feliciano and Feeling Cash - two high-class trotters trained by... a certain Philippe Allaire!
A regional network which underpins France's strength as a racing power
The training centre at Chantilly (Oise region) remains the largest in France (and indeed in Europe), spanning 2,000 hectares and acting as a home to some 2,000 thoroughbreds. However, France also has a large number of alternative English thoroughbred training centres at his disposal, which are scattered throughout the country. The list of declared runners in the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a good illustration of this asset. As the training centres of Chantilly, Deauville (Calvados), Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines), Calas-Cabriès (Bouches du Rhône) and Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) are all due to be represented in the fillies’ classic.
CONNECTIONS' QUOTES
1 - EMIRATES POULE D’ESSAI DES POULICHES
15 runners at the start : LIST HERE
Carlos Lerner, the co-trainer with his son Yann, of Minoushka and Opera Mundi – Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines)
"Regarding Minoushka, we're heading into the race with a live chance after her good effort in the Prix de la Grotte. She needs to race in a hood as it helps her settle. As for Opera Mundi, she’s very energetic, and we'll need the race to be run at a good clip. Being a classic race, there should be no shortage of runners, especially from Britain and Ireland, which should guarantee a good pace."
Stéphane Wattel – the trainer of Tulipa Chope – Deauville (Calvados) training centre
"Tulipa Chope made a good reappearance. She's done well physically from two to three. She’s more athletic, Mentally speaking, she's always been very straight forward, and is a filly blessed with an excellent temperament. She can adapt to any scenario in a race."
Philippe Sogorb – the trainer of See You Around – Mont-de-Marsan (Landes) training centre
"See you Around has come out of her last race in very good order. After her lacklustre effort in the Prix Montenica (L), I harboured a few doubts. However, there were valid excuses. As we hadn't been able to work the filly on turf before the race, as the facilities at Mont-de-Marsan had been closed for some time. She didn’t get the rub of the green during the race and the filly was off-colour in the aftermath! So, there were a lot of things going on at the same time…Without enjoying the smoothest of races yet again, this time at Toulouse, she showed her quality. She worked very well on Tuesday morning. Her great strength is her temperament: as she's very straight forward, easy to handle and that counts for something in a race like the ‘Poule’, as you need to be smartly into your stride and be able to settle. The Hayes [family], the filly’s owner-breeders, have enjoyed previous success in this race via Précieuse, who wasn’t considered a main player before the race. They know that the Poule d'Essai only comes around once in a horse's lifetime, so they are of the mindset that you might as well give it a go! Especially, as this year’s renewal seems to be an open affair with no real outstanding candidate. Relative to Besotted, the dam of See You Around, we opted to head to the [Prix de] Sandringham rather than Poule d’Essai [des Pouliches]. However, we are of the opinion that See You Around would be the superior of the pair..."
Kieran Lalor, the Al Shira’aa Racing represenative, gives the run down of Vespertilio – trained in Ireland.
"In common with many others, and given the weather patterns over the last few weeks, we opted to forego a reappearance race. That said, the filly is well, and we have still been able to get some racecourse gallops into her, and the last one, at the Curragh, was very good. In good shape, she has strengthened up during the winter, bearing in mind that she’s a May foal. The ground at Longchamp should suit her, and we preferred to target the Emirates Poule d'Essai rather than the 1,000 Guineas - not least because it gave us another week to prepare her. Her trainer, Willie McCreery, and jockey, Billy Lee, are delighted with her. There's a slight doubt about the trip, but we'll know more on Sunday. Vespertilio’s temperament is a plus. Very straight forward, calm and easy to handle, you can place her anywhere in a race and she relaxes. The ideal scenario would be to take up a good position very early in the race before making her make her turn of foot count at the business end."
Louise Bénard, the French representative of Godolphin – the owners of the British-trained Romantic Style – plus Rock’n Swing – trained at Chantilly (Oise)
"Charlie Appleby is sticking to his pre-established plan with Romantic Style following her win in the G3 Prix Imprudence. As for Rock'n Swing, the Poule d'Essai was not necessarily the main objective following her victory in the Prix du Louvre. However, she won despite the fact that the race wasn’t necessarily run to suit. She has come on since then, having worked well, and the decision was taken to leave her in the classic. She’s unbeaten in two starts, and Mickaël Barzalona will ride her. It's a new stage of her career as the filly will be moving up several levels as she is due to transition from a class 1 to a group 1 race."
Harry Herbert manages several syndicates on behalf of Highclere Racing, and Chic Colombine – trained in Britain – falls under this banner.
“The manner in which Chic Colombine has evolved and changed has been incredible. Physically, she couldn't look better than she does now. After her victory in the Listed Prix La Camargo, we eventually decided to bypass the G3 Prix de la Grotte and head straight to the ‘Poule d'Essai. We don't know how good she is. As she's very laid back in her morning work, as she doesn't show much, but, once at the racecourse, she assumes a different persona. We couldn't be happier with her and there will be no excuses apart from a possible bad draw. We know she's very effective on soft ground, but a sound surface is more of an unknown quantity. We'll only find the answer by tackling the race! We're pleased to have young Billy Loughnane [editor's note: who turned 18 last month] in the saddle. An incredible young jockey, he’s very calm and capable of putting a lot of pressure on his young shoulders. He’s a future superstar and we’re very happy to give him his chance in a classic. On Sunday, the 20 members of the syndicate which own the filly will be making the trip to Longchamp, which will be a great moment... and we hope to improve a place on what Cachet achieved in the Poule d'Essai two years ago!”
2 - EMIRATES POULE D’ESSAI DES POULAINS
13 runners at the start : LIST HERE
Yann Barberot, the trainer of Beauvatier – the Deauville (Calvados) training centre
«Beauvatier worked very well on Monday morning. Maxime Guyon came to ride him. He knows every inch of him, and everything, so far, is going according to plan. The plan was, in fact, to ensure that he wasn’t fully wound up for his reappearance with a view to stepping up on that effort in the classic. A straight-forward sort, the colt will have the advantage of being familiar with ParisLongchamp compared to the foreign colts.”
Mathieu Le Forestier, the racing manager of the Sumbe concern who owns Ramadan - Chantilly (Oise) training centre
“The news concerning Ramadan is good, and his trainer reports that he's doing well. His preparation has gone smoothly, and Christopher Head follows the pre-established plan. All the lights are flashing green. There won't be that many runners, so we can be more relaxed about our race plan. [Given a likely] field of 13 runners, that’s enough to facilitate a fast-run race while, by the same token, should guarantee no hard luck stories. The race should be a fluid one. Ramadan likes to go forward, but in the event of a wide draw, the size of the field should prevent him from making too much use of himself in the initial stages of the race. However, it doesn't mean that he'll necessarily race from the front.
It's better to be close [to the pace] than a long way of it but making the pace is neither set in stone.. nor should we refrain from doing so [if necessary]! A victory would be important in so many ways. Le Havre [editor's note: the sire of Ramadan] died too soon [editor's note: in 2022] after putting the Haras de Montfort & Préaux stud on the map. So it would obviously make a lot of sense for us to have one of his sons as a stallion prospect. There's La Poule and there's no reason why he can't be stepped up in trip after this race. His dam was bred by Lady O'Reilly [editor's note: she died in August 2023], and in the case of Ramadan, it’s a case which cuts to the very heart of ‘logic’ when it comes to breeding [horses]. Alas, the most important owners and breeders eventually pass away, but we can continue to tap into the coveted bloodlines that they have bequeathed us, and this by showcasing them to their best advantage. These are the sort of stories which we ourselves create and can recount. Our very own milieu feeds on such stories... and maybe, on Sunday, we'll have a good one to tell.”
Mario Baratti, the trainer of Metropolitan – Chantilly (Oise) training centre
“When he reappeared, the colt was ridden rather conservatively, and so we found ourselves very far back in the race, which wasn't the plan. Alexis Pouchin ensured that the colt didn’t have a hard time of it. The colt ran on very well in straight, and he finished close up to more experienced horses. He has what it takes to do well in the Poule on Sunday. He needed to get back into racing groove and the drying ground is a plus for him. Alexis Pouchin will again be in the plate”
Georges Rimaud, the director of the Aga Khan Studs in France, who own Keran – trained at Deauville (Calvados) – and Roshvar – Chantilly (Oise) training centre.
“Keran has worked very well and Jean-Claude Rouget thinks that he can stay a mile. It's a gamble that's worth taking. As for Roshvar, we're continuing along the path we set ourselves. It's true that he showed immaturity in the [Prix] Machado, but he's learning through experience.”