Grand Prix de Chantilly: Mare Australis, the old way

June 5, 2022, Chantilly Racecourse (Oise). – A winner of the Prix Ganay (Gr1) last year, Mare Australis (Australia) succeeded again in the €130,000 50th Grand Prix de Chantilly (Gr2) with Olivier Peslier up. After a full year off and two placings, including a disappointing display when 4th in the 2022 Ganay, the 5-year-old horse led all the way and won by 2 lengths, recording the second-best time (2'29''16) of the 15 last editions of the 1m4f race. Challenged early in the straight, the André Fabre-trained handsome accelerated again to score handily. Bubble Gift (Nathaniel), however, keeps on improving and finished well in second, beating Glycon (Le Havre), who also finished well.

Mare Australis won over the course and distance at 3 in the Prix de l'Avre (L). Bred by Stall Ullmann, he brings a second Grand Prix de Chantilly in the row to the owner Gestüt Schlenderhan after In Swoop in 2021. The winning André Fabre hadn't won the race since 2018, with Waldgeist, subsequent winner of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr1).

Mare Australis is out of Miramare (Rainbow Quest), a Listed-placed in Britain over 1m4f and more, sister to Macleya (Winged Love), a Prix Royal-Oak (Gr1) 2nd sold for £28,000 at Tattersalls in December 2019. She's also a sister to Mahati (Montjeu), dam of Manisha (Lope de Vega), second on the same card's Prix de Royaumont (Gr3), again over 2,400 metres.