It has been good to take a step back this summer. A change of job and a few weeks not spent looking at horses running around a track for 10-hours per day is always worthwhile. However, as we head into the latter part of 2024, I am now getting back into the full swing of things. The French recruits series will be back later next month, though in a slightly different format to previous years, but that's for later.
Below you will find a few notes from Mondays meetings at Dieppe (Flat) and Brehal (AQPS). With the summer festivals at Goodwood and Galway underway this week, it is highly likely that those will be the meetings garnering most of the attention. However, there were several eye-catching performances on Monday afternoons cards and they are worth a few minutes of your time.
Dieppe 29th July (Flat)
3,4 penetrometer reading
Prix du Garage de L’Atelier
3YO Inédits Maiden - 1,800m
Race won by Icon Cen (Guarnieri). Well positioned behind the early pace, nudged out without being asked for everything, sent off 10.0 PMU. Always holding 2nd placed Acheron (Donworth). Others to note would be 3rd placed Circle of Dreams (Pantall/Godolphin), sent off 6.1 PMU, she came widest to challenge and was in front at the furlong, but tired having probably got there too soon. Alpamayo finished 4th having been sent off favorite at 4.9 PMU, ran on without ever having the pace to challenge over this trip (bred to want 10f+ as a min).
Red Rose (Chr. Head) finished 6th having been given a very “educational ride” without the stick.
Negative from the race would be Cubanisto (Botti). Cost €290k at Arqana as a yearling and was supplemented for this race. Had a wide draw and was dropped in as a result, but looked green and unbalanced and wasn’t able to close.
Prix Amphitrite
3YO Maiden - 3,000m
Race won by Pergamon (Fabre), a colt by Frankel, he wasn’t ideally placed but his class just got him home, though there were less than 3-lengths between the first 6 as they hit the line. Juddmonte clearly have high hopes for him, but the fact that he already shapes like he needs every yard of this 3,000m trip would suggest that his options are going to be limited to 2-miles. Manigod (2nd) is of much more interest. He is a half-brother to Vauban and showed significant improvement for the step up in trip. Having led at what was a sedate pace, he was outpaced turning in before battling on to regain 2nd and was in front again 20-yards after the line, finishing in 11.30 and 11.74s.
Prix des Sardinieres
4YO+ Claimer - 1,400m
On The Edge (Rolland). Brief tracker note for next time. Finished 6th having been given an average ride. Sat behind the pace, but was sent down the centre of the track in the home straight instead of maintaining a wider line for the stands side. Caught behind tiring horses before eventually switching for racing room and running on. Has won 10 races in her career. Will win another €14k Claimer at some point with better track position (covered most ground here).
BREHAL - 29th July
3,3 penetrometer reading, (looked firmer than that)
Horse | Overall Time | Final Circuit | Réduction Km |
Le Pretendant | 159.74 | 67.73 | 69.45 |
Keasy Storm | 193.25 | 70.18 | 67.80 |
3YO AQPS (PRIX CREDIT AGRICOLE NORMANDIE), run over 2,300m (1m3.5f)
Race became a sprint on the 2nd circuit, Le Pretendant (Pacault) was well positioned and able to kick first from the front, having been sent forwards after 800m of the race. He had previous experience, having finished 2nd at Corlay on his debut at the end of June (winner has since been sold and exported, 3rd has also won next time). Lola Nordic (N Leenders) came out of the pack to chase, beaten half-a-length, but was no closer at the line as she had been turning in, looking like she was slightly reluctant to go past the winner. They came 7-lengths clear of the rest (3rd and 4th had both been fairly beaten at Corlay 2-weeks ago).
4YO AQPS (PRIX LEHODEY TP), run over 2,850m (1m6f)
Much stronger pace set than in the 3YO contest. Kate des Genievres led, eventually fading into 4th. She is a half-sister to Arkle winner, Duc des Genievres, the ground is probably too quick for her, as it appeared on debut at Nantes (6th), but this was still a step forwards. Keasy Storm (A Le Clerc) was ideally placed, but having been headed by Kimfly, he rallied well to get back up and hold the late charge from Kindly. Experience looked to be the key, he made 6 starts in 2023, but on his first run since Dec 2023, this was a career best and perhaps this can be attributed to the quicker ground, after all his dam was a G3 AQPS winner on quicker ground at Vichy.
Comments