Condé: El Bodegon rules at Chantilly

September 29, 2021, Chantilly Racecourse (Oise). - By winning the Prix de Condé (Gr3), El Bodegon (Kodiac) offers his trainer James Ferguson his first Group win in France. El Bodegon was the only foreign raider in the contest. The supplemented Hot Queen (Recorder) is the only filly of the small field of six. Vadeni (Churchill) was favourite as an unbeaten colt who'd just won the Criterium du Fonds européen de l’élevage (L) in Deauville. Vadeni, despite a good trip behind the leader and eventual winner, was unable to challenge him. Early in the straight, El Bodegon and True Testament (Siyouni) competed on their own lutte. The British colt proved to be the most resolute and won safely, by a good length. It was the 4th foreign success in the last ten editions of the race.

El Bodegon is not other than the full brother to Best Solution, a triple Gr1 winner for Godolphin. In 2012, Darley had sold their dam, Al Andalyya (Kingmambo), at Tattersalls for £10,500. The buyer, Cecil McCracken, used several times the sire Kodiac and sold all the resulting foals. Best Solution was sold for £32,000 as a weanling, and then £90,000 the following year, to John Ferguson. As for El Bodegon, by the time he went on the ring, his elder brother had already succeeded, hence his £ 200,000 tag as a yearling.