1 June 2023
Photos scoopdyga.com
The 183rd edition of the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club will take place on Sunday 4 June 2023 at Chantilly racecourse. Europe's top 3-year-olds will square up to each over 2,100 metres, and will compete for a purse worth a total of €1.5 million, which makes it France's second most valuable race (behind the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe). This outcome serves to determine the best of 3-y-old of the current classic crop, while at the same time, setting the scene for the elite autumnal races, of which the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is the highlight.
IDEAL GROUND IN PROSPECT
Conditions will be ideal at Chantilly on Sunday. Marin Le Cour Grandmaison, who oversees the Chantilly training centre and racecourse, said: « The ground is riding good to soft (3.3 on the penetrometer scale) as of Thursday morning. We will water the track on Thursday evening. The grass has been mowed to a depth of 12cms. We’re aiming for a penetrometer reading of 3.3 (good to soft) by 10am on Sunday morning, with the optic of achieving a 3.2 mark during the day. »
SPOTLIGHT ON THE TRAINER
The favourite is a French colt trained at Chantilly by Christopher Head
The French colt Big Rock is expected to start favourite, having made remarkable progress this year, which has entailed winning two of his prep races with flying colours: the Prix de Guiche and the Prix La Force.
Big Rock is trained at Chantilly by Christopher Head, who comes from a family that is steeped in the history of the sport, which has transcended some of the greatest moments in world horse racing. At just 36, Christopher Head is a rising star of the French flat trainers’ fraternity. He is the son of Freddy Head, who was a crack jockey who numbered four Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe wins. In 1997, Freddy Head decided to hang up his riding boots to become a trainer. The outstanding mare of his training career was Goldikova, who carried the colours of the Wertheimer & Frère stable. She won 14 Group 1 races, including four editions of the Prix Rothschild and three renewals of the Breeders' Cup Mile (run in the US). Christopher's aunt Christiane Head is the only woman to have trained a Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner. In fact, she trained three winners of the great race, having set the ball rolling in 1979, a year after taking out her licence, with Three Troïkas, before doubling up with Trêve in 2013 and 2014. She retired as a trainer in January 2018.
Having begun his training career in 2018, Christopher Head very soon enjoyed success and, last year, he saddled his first winner at the very top level thanks to Blue Rose Cen. The latter won the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Group 1), which is the top French race for 2-year-old fillies. Blue Rose Cen has confirmed this level of form by taking the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (the top prize for 3-y-old fillies run over 1,600 metres in the spring). Both Blue Rose Cen and Big Rock are owned by the Yeguada Centurion, the stable of Leopoldo Fernández Pujals, and himself a Cuban-born entrepreneur, who made his fortune in Spain, where he founded the home delivery pizza chain Telepizza.
SPOTLIGHT ON THE OWNER
Nurlan Bizakov and his love of Normandy
Padishakh, trained at Deauville by Jean-Claude Rouget, will defend the colours of Nurlan Bizakov, who is also the colt’s breeder. A businessman from Kazakhstan, Nurlan Bizakov discovered horse racing in his homeland, before his passion took on a new dimension in England, where he was based at the time. In 2010, he acquired a stud in the south of England, Hesmond Studs, before falling in love with Normandy. This has entailed developing his breeding and racing business activities there, under the Sumbe banner (which is the name of his home village).
In 2019, he acquired the Haras de Montfort et Préaux, located between Orbec and Lisieux, in the heart of the Pays d'Auge, and, in 2021, he bought the Haras du Mézeray. The latter situated at Livarot, in the Orne region, was yet another example of a French historic thoroughbred breeding centre. These two breeding facilities span 350 hectares, and they are home to four stallions of note: Mishriff, Golden Horde, De Treville and Recorder.
Success soon followed: as last year's Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère winner, the top autumnal prize for 2-year-old colts, was Belbek, who became the first Group 1 winner to be bred and owned by Nurlan Bizakov.
As a sign of his attachment to French racing, Nurlan Bizakov, via his Sumbe operation, has signed up to a five sponsorship year of the Prix Morny (Group 1 - Sunday 20 August 2023), and the highlight of the Deauville Barrière Meeting, which takes place throughout August at the seaside town's racecourse.
SPOTLIGHT ON AN OWNER-TRAINER PARTNERSHIP
A long-standing partnership between Jean-Louis Bouchard and Pascal Bary (Chantilly): a tandem which has impacted the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club
An owner for some 40 years, Jean-Louis Bouchard has a special affinity with the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club: a race which he has already won four times. Each of his winners were trained by the Chantilly-based Pascal Bary.
This year, this combination have opted to supplement Feed the Flame (i.e. enter colt at the last minute at a cost of €72,000). He will be the only unbeaten colt in the field. Feed the Flame only made his racecourse debut on 9 April, when scoring a stylish win. He again showcased his quality with a follow-up success on 27 April.
A successful entrepreneur (he founded Econocom, a European group specialising in services linked to digital transformation [of the work place], of which he is still the Chairman and CEO), Jean-Louis Bouchard has a real passion for horses... and all horses! This comprises flat racing horses, of course, but also Iberian horses that he rides at his property in the Var region.
Pascal Bary said of him: « We've trained horses for Jean-Louis Bouchard over a forty year period. We've had some great times, as well as some fallow ones, of course. He's a man who loves racing and, above all, horses. He’s very straight forward to work for. He understands everything. He's always loved having good horses, and Feed the Flame is doing him proud. Anecdotally, Jean-Louis Bouchard was going racing long before I was! »
WHAT CONNECTIONS ARE SAYING
Pascal Bary
The trainer of FEED THE FLAME - Chantilly (Oise region)
(Quotes from the Zoom press conference organised by France Galop)
«When it came to entering our horses in the Prix du Jockey-Club, I never envisaged Feed the Flame coming under orders in the race. As you can ascertain, he's a physically impressive colt. As a result, and in common with many horses with his physique, he has taken time to find his feet. The penny dropped very late in his case. When he made his debut, six weeks ago, Feed the Flame won easily. That day, I had expected him to win, but not by such a wide margin. The turnaround with his next race was a very quick one (20 days), as I wanted to get another race under his belt before the classic [editor’s note: the Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club]. We took the decision to supplement him after his second win, which also proved to be a particularly easy one. Feed the Flame is familiar with Chantilly racecourse because he trained there before his debut. He made a return trip there last Tuesday [23 May]. I have tried, above all, to give him enough time between his initial first two races and the Jockey-Club. Especially, as his first two races weren't very far apart. Even if the colt won without having to force his talent in his first two races, we have had to give him time, in such a way that he would understand what we were requiring of him … »
Yann Barberot
The trainer of AMERICAN FLAG - Deauville (Calvados region)
« In the lead-up to the French 2,000 Guineas, we were too laid-back. As a result of the colt losing ground at the start, we quickly came back down to earth. This just goes to show that 'winning races' isn't easy, even for a 2-1 shot. On Sunday, we'll be focusing on the longer trip (2100 metres) compared to the shorter one of French 2,000 Guineas (1600 metres), and this can only be a plus for American Flag. Following the second acceptance stage, I'm not sure that I’ve detected a standout candidate who will be the overwhelming favourite in the Jockey-Club. American Flag, therefore, has every chance. It's the first time that I will have a runner in this race. Last year, I similarly ran a filly in the [Prix de] Diane, for the first time. But the Jockey-Club is really something else! There's a huge amount at stake, especially for the horse and its implications for a potential stallion career. During his last piece of work, American Flag travelled very easily and was in a relaxed frame of mind. He can be a bit of a rascal, but he has proved to be very focused and very diligent on his return to the work tab. Christophe Soumillon has opted to ride another horse in the race, and so we had to find a replacement rider. Stéphane Pasquier was simply the result of Malcolm Parrish’s affinity with this rider. They've both enjoyed success together in the past... »
Christopher Head
The trainer of BIG ROCK - Chantilly (Oise region)
(Quotes from the Zoom press conference organised by France Galop)
« Big Rock has raced seven times since the beginning of his career, that's once a month. That's a lot! In fact, it's rare to have contested so many races before going into a Group 1 race. However, he takes his racing so easily... and I can ascertain this from his weight, his cardio [vascular patterns] and his behaviour... For example, his last piece of work was much better than the ones he did before his prep races. However, having said that, the question of the distance, still arises. We know that his powers of recovery have been good one since racing over 1,800 metres. However, we don't know about him [lasting] 2,100 metres yet because we haven’t had the opportunity of trying him out over this trip in the morning. We'll soon find out. We are lucky enough in that our relationship with the colt’s jockey Aurélien Lemaître stems from the days when he rode from my father, and ours has always been a very good rapport. However, we never thought we'd get this far. It's incredible. I'm delighted to be living this particular adventure alongside him. »
Jean-Claude Rouget
The trainer of ACE IMPACT, PADISHAKH and RAJAPOUR - Deauville (Calvados region)
« My three runners in the Prix du Jockey-Club worked on the main track at Deauville. All the colts, who worked in small groups, went well. There was nothing more I could do in terms of adding to their preparation as they were already concert pitch. It was simply a question of keeping them ticking over. You have to draw a line under the last performances of Padishakh and Rajapour in the Prix de Guiche, as the ground was too testing for them. As for Ace Impact, he won the Prix de Suresnes (L) in good style. He will be ridden by Cristian Demuro, whereas Padishakh will have the services of Maxime Guyon. Lastly, Ioritz Mendizabal will partner Rajapour. »
Andreas Schutz
The trainer of MARHABA YA SANAFI - Chantilly (Oise region)
« I think that we have a real chance of finishing in the top three or four. Marhaba Ya Sanafi is an easy colt to ride. He's got enough tactical speed, and so you can place him wherever you want to in a race. With him, you don't have to go to the front or ride him from the back of the pack. He's a real straight forward horse to handle. He should be capable of further improvement. The longer trip will perhaps help him. We didn't apply too much pressure when it came to his preparation this spring. I'm very happy with the way he's developing, both mentally and physically. What we need now is a good draw, and a trouble free run.
When Marhaba Ya Sanafi won the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains, I was really pleased to be considered as part of the 'French team' [editor’s note: a horse's country is determined by where it is trained - in this case Chantilly - even if the trainer has a different nationality – and Andreas Schutz is German]. I almost felt like that I'd won the race twice! For the Marhaba Ya Sanafi team and entourage, of course. Yet also for the French and the inhabitants of Chantilly, who also seemed delighted. France Galop goes to great lengths to ensure that the tools which aid us to do the job, the tracks, are of the highest possible standard. If you can't train winners at Chantilly, then you won't get anywhere! »
Claude Beniada,
the representative of the estate of Prince Khalid Abdullah, who own FLIGHT LEADER
« His last performance in the Prix de Guiche is one to forget. We were fearful that the distance would be on the sharp side for him, but the aim was to get a race under his belt before the Jockey-Club. Alas, it rained a lot which made for testing ground. We hope that the weather forecast will continue as predicted, with a welcome build-up of settled weather. Bauyrzhan Murzabayev is expected to ride him. »