Cléopâtre: Harajuku twists again

Saturday, May 1^st 2021, Saint-Cloud Racecourse (Hauts-de-Seine). - One more time today at Saint-Cloud, the favourites have failed. In this 71st Prix Cléopâtre (Gr3), Harajuku (Deep Impact) wasn't as popular as she was last Summer. Trained by André Fabre for her breeders, the Niarchos Family, she'd made quite an impression when winning first time by 2.5 lengths at Chantilly over 7 furlongs. Two months later, without bothering running once again in a minor event, she went to take second place in the Prix des Réservoirs (Gr3), won by the good King’s Harlequin. However, she didn't run well a third time, on heavy ground on Arc day in the Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1), also she was starting as the 4th favourite at 15/2…

For her come back, just four weeks before this Prix Cléopâtre, she came by nicely at the furlong pole but couldn't keep up in the end and finished 3rd. This time, after travelling outside the front runner Incarville (Wootton Bassett), who kept going all the way, she won by over a length. Crohanne (Havana Gold), who had beaten Harajuku last time out, finished 3rd for her first stint under Jean-Louis Bouchard's colours.

Harajuku is a sister to Japanese Gr2-winner King of Koji (Lord Kanaloa). Their dam Phaenomena (Galileo), bought for £700,000 as a yearling (she's sister to One Thousand Guineas winner Nightime, also the dam of 2020 horse of the year Ghaiyyath), won in Britain with Lady Cecil and was sent to stud in Japan.

Naturally, Harajuku is in the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Gr1), the Saxon Warrior Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (Gr1) and the Prix de Diane Longines (Gr1).