Grand Prix de Paris: Onesto leads French 1-2 !

Thursday, July 14, 2022, Hippodrome ParisLongchamp (Paris). - In front of a crowd of over 17,000, the French colt Onesto (Frankel) won the Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1), one of Europe's most prestigious races for 3-year-olds over the 2,400m (12f) distance, in style. It marked the third success in this prestigious race for his jockey Stéphane Pasquier. However, trainer Fabrice Chappet who is also based in Chantilly was breaking his ice in this race. An unlucky fifth in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1), following a very difficult race, Onesto took his revenge at ParisLongchamp by comfortably turning the tables on the colt who had finished second in the Chantilly classic!

Onesto was reined back on exiting the stalls and was held up in the last position. At the head of affairs, Simca Mille (Tamayuz) dictated a muddling pace. Turning in, having established a clear lead of a length over his nearest pursuers, Simca Mille showed his courage by digging in. However, that was counting without Onesto, who exuded class in his first win at this level.

Simca Mille was a solid second, having preceded the English raider El Bodegon (Kodiac), who was coming off a second in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1).

Eight different owners share Onesto. Gerard Augustin-Normand has a 25 per cent stake, and he has already won the Grand Prix de Paris (in 2016 with Mont Ormel). The colt’s other co-owners are trotting professionals Jean-Etienne Dubois, Matthieu Millet (Ecurie Hunter Valley) and Fabien Rycroft (Ecurie Elag). The renowned Haras d’Etreham owns a stake in the colt along with Stéphane Billon (Ecurie Billon Stables), trainer Fabrice Chappet and the bloodstock agent Hubert Guy (who sourced the colt at the Florida sales).

They said…

Fabrice Chappet (the trainer of Onesto, 1st)

« The way the race was run to suit Onesto. Cantering down to the start, he was quite free, but he was a little bit colder in the race. Stéphane [Pasquier, editor's note] left him alone because we know he can get a bit tense. He showed his good turn of foot when it came to the finish. In the Jockey Club, he had a bad draw, and unfortunately, the Jockey Club only comes about once during a colt's career. That said, it is far from certain that he would have beaten the winner with a better draw. It was a different race today with fewer runners. He is good over 2,400m and has enough speed for 2,000-metre races. We won the Grand Prix de Paris, and we can think about the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe now... and entertain ambitions too! »

Stéphane Billon (co-owner of Onesto, 1st)

« It's wonderful! I was told how incredible it is to win a Gr1, but you have to live it. I don't have the words to describe it! He had shown that he could finish off his races in the straight on his debut and at Saint-Cloud in the Prix Greffulhe. It's his trademark, namely the ability to pick as the race progresses. He just keeps going. I made my mark when, from the United States, Hubert Guy called me to tell me that he had seen an exceptional horse: I don't know much about it, but I went to see the videos, I could see that he was. I said yes to Hubert Guy, and he said: he's going to fetch $500,000. So I retorted no way (laughs)! In the end, I took a share in the colt, and many of us are stakeholders in him. Everybody gets along well. We can dream of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: it's incredible! »

Stéphane Wattel (trainer and co-owner of Simca Mille, 2nd)

«  He's a super colt. He has a lot of stamina. And he's easy to ride. We made the running because that is something that he likes doing. He can move up through the gears. Today, it required a good horse and one with a real turn to foot to reel us in. What is admirable is that Simca Mille tries to dig in... In fact, he produces another thrust. However, logic dictates that he gets beaten. We had a lot going for us this evening. Apart from the fact that we had no idea whether he was a Group 1 horse. This performance shows that he part of a clutch of good horses over this distance. That offers a lot of possibilities for the future. Before the race, he was quite upset. I think that his sire, Tamayuz, was a rather delicate horse. But Simca Mille should age well. I hope to make a good horse of him. The owner wants to keep him. He could run as a 4-year-old. I could see him running well over a further 100m in the Grand Prix de Deauville (Gr2) if impressions at home are anything to go by. It all depends on he recovers from the race…»

James Ferguson (the trainer of El Bodegon, 3rd)

« He ran remarkably well on this ground - because he is even better on soft ground. He’s a super horse, a Gr1 class performer, and he confirms that again today. He has been performing well in France. The winner, in my opinion, is an excellent horse. El Bodegon also proved that 2,400m holds no terrors for him. I think the colt is underrated. »