Recoletos, best miler in Europe
Photo scoopdyga.com
The 4-year-old Recoletos (Whipper) won his second Group 1, Sunday, September 9 at ParisLongchamp in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr1). Second in the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1) at 3, Recoletos was bred by the Spanish Hinojosa family, whose stud is based in Normandy. Before his Sunday success as a favorite, Recoletos won this year's Prix d'Ispahan (Gr1), then failed at Ascot before finishing second to Irish great Alpha Centauri, absent on Sunday, in the Prix de Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (Gr1) at Deauville.
He came by on Sunday with Olivier Peslier on board, and stayed on to fetch 3 years-old filly Wind Chimes (Mastercraftsman) in the last strides. The filly had had a better trip inside the field.
English raider Expert Eye (Acclamation) finished in third place ahead of Plumatic (Pivotal) and Lightning Spear (Pivotal), also a good finisher. However, the front-running Wootton (Wootton Bassett) and Oriental (Smart Strike) had completed the first 5 furlongs of this mile in just over a minute, a very fast time.
The winner's jockey, Olivier Peslier, won the race for the third time in since 1998 with Desert Prince, and 2008 with Goldkikova.