Sagan 3-year-old fillies Hurdle: Villa Rica in full flight

May 21, 2022, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris). Recently third behind the now-exported Gala Marceau, Villa Rica (Cokoriko) won her first race for her first trial in a Group event in the Sagan 3-year-old fillies Hurdle race (Gr3). Bred by Thierry Cyprès, leased to the Pilarski family and the Olympic vault-jumper Renaud Lavillenie, she was ridden by Johnny Charon for trainers Hector de Lageneste and Guillaume Macaire. She travelled in midfield as Angela du Berlais (Great Pretender), Just a Princess (Invahowe) and Rose Secrète (Agent Secret) were leading the race and made her move in her final turn to take the lead two out and take off running-in. 2nd-placed Angela du Berlais stayed on at 7 lengths while the favourite Dixon Cove (Earl of Tinsdal), who had also beaten Villa Rica in her last race, finished well to deprive Rose Secrète of the third place at 4 lengths.

Villa Rica is a full sister to Polirico (Cokoriko), a Group performer at Auteuil over hurdles and bigger obstacles. Both are out of Polimère (Poliglote), a flat winner for her breeder Jacques Détré, beaten on a few occasions in claiming races, and a faller for her only trial over jumps -for her very last outing, at Senonnes.

At stud, however, she gave Polirico, Villa Navarre (Saint des Saints), twice a winner over jumps, Polisud (Lord du Sud), 4th in the 2022 French National at Auteuil, Villa Florentine (Jeu St Eloi), a chasing winner at Lyon-Parilly, and now another Group winner! A full brother and a full sister to Polirico and Villa Rica were born in 2020 and 2021.