€400,000 Qatar Marcel Boussac (Gr1): Vertical Blue upsets Zarigana

ParisLongchamp, France – October 6, 2024 – Vertical Blue (Mehmas) provided a 30-1 upset in Sunday’s €400,000 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac – Critérium des Pouliches (Gr1) at ParisLongchamp, getting up in the final strides to deny her stablemate, the heavily favoured Zarigana (Siyouni).

Exactly (Frankel) set the pace, but Zarigana, who had settled off the pace, produced a strong rally to take command. However, Vertical Blue, who had also been well back in the early stages, unleashed an even more powerful late surge to win by a nose.

Before this victory, Vertical Blue had broken her maiden in her third start at Clairefontaine, then finished second to Madero in the Critérium de Lyon (L) after closing from too far back.

The winning filly is owned by Gemini Stud of the Teboul family and Argella Racing. She was bred by Haras du Mont dit Mont and purchased for €50,000 by Paul Nataf at the Deauville sales. She is out of Krunch (Sea the Stars), a Dax and Bordeaux winner trained by Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte, the big winner in Arabian Thoroughbred racing this week. Her pedigree traces back to the Lagardère breeding program.

What connections said:
 

Francis-Henri Graffard – the trainer of Vertical Blue (1st) and Zarigana (2nd) – Chantilly (Oise)

« It's an incredible feeling. I knew my fillies were in top form. They pursed different courses today: as Vertical Blue, having gone the shortest way around, was able to maintain her momentum by going for home on the inside in the open stretch, whereas Zarigana’s pathway during the course was a carbon copy of her previous race when winning a Group 3 race. At the beginning of the straight, Exactly attempted to quicken clear. Then I observed Zarigana, having pursued a more central course, making up a lot of ground, whereas Vertical Blue made progress on the inside. Then they got into a battle and I didn't know which one of them had won. When I heard the cheers ring-in, I knew then! I'd also like to add that a percentage of our winnings will be donated to the Au-Delà Des Pistes association, whose mission is to rehome and retrain racehorses. »

Francis Teboul – the co-owner of Vertical Blue (1st)

« We're very emotional. We had hesitated between coming here and the Arqana Series. Vertical Blue was in great shape. Her trainer affirmed as much. That's why we took our chance. But we didn't expect to be beat the favourite Zarigana.»

Alexis Pouchin – the jockey of Vertical Blue (1st)

« We hadn’t really seen her limits. She found herself a long way back in the Listed race at Lyon [on her previous start]. Yet she showed her fighting qualities on that occasion. The easing in the ground helped her a lot. »

Jennifer Sassier - the breeding manager at the Haras du Mont-dit-Mont, and the breeder of Vertical Blue (Calvados)

«To have a runner in a Group 1 race is great. And when it’s in a Group 1 for juveniles i’'s even better. Especially on Arc day! So to see this filly win is fantastic. I'm very happy for the whole team and for the stud's owner. Given that we only have around 20 broodmares, it's immensely satisfying to be so competitive when taking on the big international multiples. »

Nemone Routh, the racing manager of the Aga Khan Studs, the owner-breeder

of  Zarigana (2nd)

« We’re of the opinion that Zarigana ran really well. She's a very sensitive filly. There are still areas for improvement with her. For example when Mickaël [Barzalona] pulls her out for her, she tends to quicken straight away. We thought that had got up on passing the winning post. She has her future ahead of her. She has a lot of speed and will begin her 2025 campaign over 1,600 metres. It's true that we're disappointed to have got beaten but that's racing! She's come a long way in a short space of time. »