Qatar Jean Prat Report: Pinatubo & Godolphin ride high
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, August 12, 2020, Deauville. - A year after Too Darn Hot, another champion 2-year-old looking for redemption at 3 was born again in the Qatar Jean Prat (Gr1). And so, the favourite of this 60th renewal, Pinatubo (Shamardal), took over one out and beat by almost a length the Irish raider Lope Y Fernandez (Lope de Vega), pushed along gin the centre by the in-form French rider Ioritz Mendizabal.
Another English raider, Malotru (Casamento) grabbed third place two and a half lengths behind, coming from the rear. He finished a short neck behind the first French horse to finish, Wooded (Wootton Bassett). Winner of Jersey Stakes (Gr3) at the Royal Ascot meeting, Molatham (Night of Thunder) finished in fifth place on good ground.
Undefeated at 2, winner of two Group 1 races in Ireland and England, Pinatubo, bred by Godolphin, had only finished third in the Two Thousand Guineas (Gr1) and second in the St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr1) at the Ascot royal meeting.
This time, he won his seventh victory, the first this year.
Pinatubo’s dam Lava Flow (Dalakhani) won two races in France for trainer André Fabre. For instance, she won the Prix de la Seine (L) over 11 furlongs before entering stud. Her own dam Mount Elbrus (Barathea) also gave a Group 3 Hurdle winner in Great Britain.
Pinatubo is, like Mishriff, winner of the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1), and Uni, winner last year of a Breeders’Cup race, a descendant of Eljazzi (Artaius). The broodmare was racing for Prince Faisal, breeder-owner of Mishriff, and did not succeed but gave Rafha, winner of the Prix de Diane and dam of the great sire Invincible Spirit.
Note also that the second of this Qatar Jean Prat, Lope Y Fernandez, was bought for € 900,000 at the Deauville sales. Another 2-year-old champion won on Sunday at Deauville as Earthlight (Shamardal), also unbeaten at 2, easily won over 6 furlongs the Qatar Prix Kistena (L) for his return this season.
Thus, with Althiqa (Dark Angel) in the Qatar Prix Amandine (L), Earthlight, Pinatubo and Royal Crusade in the Qatar Prix de Ris-Orangis (Gr3), Godolphin took home four of the five main races of the day in Deauville!