11 August 2024
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, August 11, 2024, Deauville-La Touques Racecourse (Calvados). – The favourite for the €1m Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Prix, Jacques Le Marois (Gr1, 3-year-olds and up, 1m straight), the English visitor Charyn (Dark Angel), dominated the race. Owned by Nurlan Bizakov and trained at Newmarket by Roger Varian, Charyn was coming off a victory in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr1, 1m) at Ascot, following a second-place finish in the Lockinge Stakes (Gr1) at Newbury. Last year, he consistently placed in major UK classic events.
The race was led by Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr1) winner Metropolitan (Zarak), the only 3-year-old in the field after Haatem's late withdrawal. He was quickly overtaken by Big Rock (Rock of Gibraltar), with Charyn to the centre of the straight and Quddwah (Kingman) just behind, making his debut at this level. The double titleholder Inspiral (Frankel), who started poorly, travelled at the back of the field. Charyn soon made his move, taking control in the final furlong to win by 3 lengths over the tenacious Metropolitan, with Inspiral finishing strongly for third, a head ahead of Quddwah.
This marks the seventh consecutive British or Irish victory in the race and a first for breeder-owner Nurlan Bizakov, who also owns Haras du Mézeray under the Sumbe banner, a site with classic prestige comparable to the race sponsor, Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard of the Niarchos family.
Charyn was bred in Ireland by Grangemore Stud. He was purchased for £250,000 as a yearling at the Tattersalls sale by Sumbe. His full sister was also bought by Sumbe at last October’s sale for £850,000, and another full sister is listed in the upcoming sale. Their elder full brother, Wings of War, is now racing in Hong Kong, where he took some time to secure his first victory in the spring after winning at Group 2 level in England.
Their dam, Futoon, who has only been paired with Dark Angel since entering the stud, was sold for €100,000 after winning a maiden and a handicap.
What they said...
Nurlan Bizakov – the owner of Charyn (1st)
"Charyn is a champion. I'm sure that he's the best miler in Europe. One option is the Group 1 Prix de Moulin de Longchamp at Paris-Longchamp on 8 September. In October, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot is another."
Roger Varian – the trainer of Charyn (1st) – trained in Great Britain
"It was quite a straightforward race to watch! Charyn is incredible and seems to be improving all the time. He's magnificent! He's relaxed In the morning, although it's sometimes difficult to know where you are with him because of his build. However, his temperament makes life very easy for me. He has an exceptional mindset. I hope he stays in top form, and we can enjoy him for a little longer.
Where he goes next has not yet been decided. As was the case with Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, the winner of this race is guaranteed an invitation to the Breeders' Cup Mile. We'll take it from there. It's always good to be invited to this race. Having said that, we can also toy with the idea of running him in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. He acts on any ground, and we really like that option."
Silvestre de Sousa – the jockey of Charyn (1st)
"Charyn has a lot of class. He's simply a great horse. This is a big win for me."
Mario Baratti – the trainer of Metropolitan (2nd) – Chantilly (Oise)
"Each time he visits the racecourse, Metropolitan displays new qualities. He was the only 3-year-old in the race. He had a slightly complicated passage during the race but recovered well enough. We were powerless when it came to coping with the winner. I think that he still has some scope for improvement. Nothing is yet set in stone regarding the rest of his career."
John Gosden – the co-trainer with his son Thady of Inspiral (3rd) – Great Britain
"You can't give away so much ground when up against horses of this class. Especially in a Group 1 race. Inspiral has always been slowly away from the gates, particularly today. So, she gave her rivals a bigger head start than usual. Given that, it's fair to say that she delivered a great performance. The race was run at a pace far from breaking the neck. In any case, Inspiral is in good form, but it’s simply too big an ask when you start so slowly."