Harcourt: Shaman plays his best trick

Reprogrammed more than a month after its initial date of April 5, the Prix d’Harcourt (Gr2), for aged horses over 2,00m/10f, is the traditional prep race for the Prix Ganay (Gr1), which will take place this year on June 14.

Nine runners lined up on Monday at the start of this somewhat exceptional edition, since horses trained abroad couldn’t participate. The main feature of the race was the return of Sottsass (Siyouni), European 3yrs champion last year. Yet the winner of the 2019 QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1) did not spark this time as he could not hold on to the 3^rd place on the post.

The winner is Shaman (Shamardal), a Wertheimer&Frère homebred trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, who led all the way and won by three parts of a length, beating a fast-finishing Way To Paris (Champs Elysees) in second, a short neck ahead of the tough mare Simona (Siyouni), once again very brave after her Prix Exbury (Gr3) win in March over the same distance.

Bred by the Wertheimers, out of a Listed winner and Group-placed over 7 furlongs, from the family also of Group 1 performers Occupandiste and Intello, Shaman won first time out, in the summer of his 2-year-old season. Placed later, he failed in the Grand Critérium (Gr1) but won again at the end of that year. A winner again upon his return in the Prix Omnium II (L) over 1 mile, then in the Prix La Force (Gr3) over 9 furlongs, he took the second place in The Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas, Gr1) before failing at the Royal Ascot meeting against the best European 3yrs over the mile. Second in the Prix Jacques le Marois (Gr1) for his return to France, he finally bowed out on a third place in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (Gr2) and was making his seasonal come back here.