20 June 2021
Photo scoopdyga.com
June 20, 2021, Chantilly Racecourse. - A mile race for aged horses, the Prix Bertrand du Breuil Longines (Gr3) sometimes gathers old glories on their way back to the top. This year, Ecrivain (Lope de Vega)'s win could be the beginning of a new story for the Wertheimers' homebred who was once amongst the best 2-year-olds in action in France, when he finished 4th in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère won by Victor Ludorum. However, he couldn't quite repeat that the next season and was struggling every time he was entered in another Group race. Not this time though, after Maxime Guyon had kept him quiet within the field. Trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias this time passed by the leaders as he used to at his best and beat by almost a length the favourite Sagamiyra (Sea the Moon), who'd won 5 consecutive races before that! Reshabar (Iffraaj) finished 3rd without ever giving way.
Ecrivain is the 4th foal out of Sapphire Pendant (Danehill Dancer), and her one year elder, a filly named Starifique (Sea the Stars), also trained by Laffon-Parias, just won her maiden at Deauville in July.
Sapphire Pendant (Danehill Dancer), Starifique's dam, was paid £ 480,000 by the Wertheimers at Tattersalls Breeding sale back in 2012. She had raced for Coolmore, who'd bought her for € 300,000 at Deauville. A winner for her debut, second after that in the One Thousand Guineas Trial (Gr3) at Leopardstown, she failed three times before going off training and went for sale before she could even breed. Her price tag is down to her 2nd dam, probably, Blush With Pride (Blushing Groom), a Kentucky Oaks (Gr1) winner who is closely related to two Belmont Stakes (Gr1) winners, Rags To Riches and Jazil.
After Écrivain, Sapphire Pendant gave a 3-year-old Intello colt, an Empire Maker filly bred in 2020, and another Lope de Vega colt this season.