21 May 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, May 21, 2023, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). - The 4kgs that the 8/10 favourite Jigme (Motivator) had to give in the €135,000 Aguado 3yo Hurdle Race (Gr3) obviously weren't enough to halt this brand-new jumping machine, who ran without any real challenge and won by four and a half lengths on the bit. His best rival, Léon du Berlais (Authorized), whom he had already outrun in their joint debut in the Rush 3yo Hurdle, settled for a very honourable second place, ten lengths ahead of the third-place finisher Surinfil (Great Pretender).
The top two were the only entire Colts in this field of seven runners.
Now undefeated in three races at Auteuil, Jigme is the undisputed first leader of his class.
The colt was bred by Yeguada Centurion. He was sold as a yearling for 90,000€ at the Arqana October sales to Frédéric Sauque, now his co-owner with Phoenix Eventing, representative of Swiss owner Stéphanie Hoffmann, Haras de l'Hôtellerie (where the colt was bred) and Marc Bridoux.
His dam Simawa (Anabaa) was bred by the Aga Khan, for whom she won at 2 before producing the Listed-placed Silwana (Peintre Célèbre) and especially the good Sinawann (Kingman), second at 2 in a Group 2 race won by Mogul before being exported to Australia, where he has performed at the highest level between 7 and 10 furlongs.
In the meantime, the mare had been sold for 210,000€ at the Goffs sales, in foal to Gleneagles. Jigme is her most recent foal.
Simawa is a sister to the Derby winner Sinndar (Grand Lodge)...