Darley Kergorlay Report: Call the Wind back on the right course

Sunday, August 23, 2020, Deauville. - The field of this 149th edition of the Darley Prix Kergorlay (Gr2) was reduced to eight after the withdrawals of Get Shirty, Red Verdon and Alkuin. After letting Collide (Frankel) take over the lead, the favourite Call the Wind (Frankel) swooped down on him at the entrance to the homestretch and dominated unopposed for this return to competition, more than two months after his unlucky race in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (Gr2) prize. George Strawbridge’s homebred chestnut left well-finishing Ashrun (Authorized) take second place at a length and a half, ahead of another German raider, Windstoss (Shirocco), who thus passed this staying test. Overall, several competitors finished well to pass Collide in the final furlong, but Call the Wind had made the difference early on.

Sired by a champion miler, the winner's siblings mostly succeeded on distances shorter than 1m1/2. He proved himself within the staying division in 2018 by winning the Qatar Prix du Cadran (Gr1) over 2m4f. He made regularly the frame on the European stayers circuit. In February, he won the first edition of a Melbourne Cup emulation in Saudi Arabia.

Call the Wind is a brother to With You (Dansili), winner of the Prix Rothschild (Gr1), of which she also finished second, as she finished second in the Prix  Saint-Alary (Gr1) and the Prix Romanet (Gr1) over 1 1/4m. His full sister We Are (Dansili) won the Prix de l'Opéra Longines (Gr1), also over 10 furlongs.

The last two foals out of In Clover (Inchinor), winner of the Prix de Flore (Gr3) over 2,100 meters at 3 in October, are two colts by Dansili and Dubawi born respectively in 2017 and 2018. Also trained by Freddy Head, the Dansili 3yo colt finished 9th at Compiègne in July for his debut.