30 April 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, April 30, 2023, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris). - The first act of the staying season in France, the Prix de Barbeville (Gr3) over 3,100 metres, was won by the front-runner Big Call (Animal Kingdom). Representing his owner-trainer Christophe Ferland, Big Call held off a brave The Good Man (Manduro), who was always in his wake, finishing second ahead of his stablemate at Stéphane Wattel's yard, Moon Wolf (Intello), who was competing in his first Group race. The favourite Tashkhan (Born to Sea), who was also well placed all the way, finished fourth in a very tight finish for the places, three lengths behind the first two.
Big Call's profile is rather atypical, as a 6-year-old who was bought for 55,000 $ as a yearling at Keeneland, started with a victory in Ireland at 2 years old under the training of Joseph O'Brien, who had bought him for 45,000 € at the Arqana breeze-up sales, before being selling him to Hong Kong, where he failed three times at 3 years old before returning to Europe, with Christophe Ferland, at 4.
A winner at Lignières, then on the Winter at Cagnes-sur-mer, and at ParisLongchamp in April, he reached a 89lbs rating that led him to try his luck at Listed level in Madrid, where he finished third, then fifth in the Prix du Carrousel (L) before finally achieving "Group" level in the Prix Gladiateur (Gr2). He then finished sixth behind Irésine in the Prix Royal-Oak (Gr1) and started his 2022 campaign with a fourth place in the Grand Handicap of the "Melbourne Cup" type in the evening of the Saudi Cup in Riyadh.