Exbury: Skalleti takes it easy

21 March 2021

Exbury: Skalleti takes it easy

Photo scoopdyga.com

Sunday, March 21st, 2021, Saint-Cloud Racecourse (Hauts-de-Seine). - Odds-on favourite for his return into action in the Prix Exbury (Gr3), 6yo gelding Skalleti (Kendargent) smashed the opposition in the final stages of the 1m2f race for horses 4 and up. In a heavy ground, 96 days after an unsuccessful trip to Hong Kong, the Guy Pariente-bred, Jean-Claude Seroul-owned popular grey went from the rear by the inside after the final bend to quickly take over and leave the field without reaction, as if two breeds had gathered on the same course by accident. His rider Pierre-Charles Boudot steered him to the post enjoying the landscape. The 2020 Champion Stakes (Gr1) second won by 3.5 on the bit, with Grand Glory (Olympic Glory) a convincing 2nd, beating  Ecrivain (Lope de Vega), third another 2 lengths further down.

Trained in Provence, at Calas, by Jérôme Reynier, Skalleti won seven consecutive races on distances ranging from 8 to 10 furlongs, including two successes at Group 2 level in France and Italy, before taking a rest in the Autumn in 2019. Third for his comeback after six months off with a 4lbs penalty, and again third in the Prix du Muguet (Gr2) won by Persian King, he found his way back to victory in the Prix Gontaut-Biron and confirmed in the Prix Dollar (Gr2) on Arc weekend. He did even better when 2nd-placed in Addeybb's Champion Stakes (Gr1) and then failed to adapt at Hong Kong for the Cup.

Sold € 85,000 at the Deauville sales to Seroul's bloodstock advisor Alain Decrion, Skalleti is out of Skallet (Muhaymin), a Listed winner at Bordeaux. She also gave Skalleto (Kendargent), Listed-placed for Guy Pariente and a 4-year-old gelding Skazino (Kendargent), winner of 8 races. A Kendargent colt was born in 2019.

On the same card at Saint-Cloud, Sweet Lady (Lope de Vega) dominated other 3-year-old fillies, including the Gr1-winner Tiger Tanaka (Clodovil), only 2nd over the Prix La Camargo (L)'s mile. In the colts' version of this French Guineas early prep, the Prix Omnium II (L), the gelding Galik (Galiway) beat Easter (Exosphere), who will probably improve on that. Last year in this race, the 2nd-placed The Summit went on to finish also 2nd in the French 2,000 and in the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby). Over 2,100m/10.5f in the Prix François Mathet (L), another test for 3-year-olds, the winner Pretty Tiger (Sea The Moon) easily confirmed his two previous wins at Cagnes/Mer over the all-weather for owner Bernard Giraudon.