€80,000 La Rochette (Gr3): Houquetot keeps going

ParisLongchamp, Sunday, September 8th, 2024 – The strong favourite for the €80,000 Prix La Rochette (Gr3), a 2-year-old race contested over seven furlongs, Houquetot (Wootton Bassett) was bidding to build on his second-place finish in the Prix François Boutin (Gr3) over the same distance at Deauville, 28 days earlier. He had previously won his first two races.

Breaking well, he quickly moved up to challenge the leader, Sir Tommy Cen (Dark Angel), and the pair battled head-to-head until the final furlong, where Houquetot asserted his superiority. However, the finish was closer than it initially appeared. After racing in a pocket and having to wait for a gap to open, Heybetli (Showcasing) and Révolutionnaire (Penny's Picnic) finished with a flourish, taking second and third respectively, less than a length behind the winner and a short neck ahead of the brave Sir Tommy Cen.

Bred in Ireland by Coolmore Stud, Houquetot is owned by Jean-Claude Seroul, Al Shaqab Racing, and Gérard Augustin-Normand. He was purchased for €280,000 at Arqana by Mandore International. His dam, Happen (War Front), a Group 3 winner, is a daughter of the triple Oaks (Gr1) winner (Epsom, Irish, and Yorkshire) Alexandrova (Sadler's Wells). It's a splendid family with an abundance of black-type performers.