 Friday, Sept. 4th. On a day at Chantilly, where the small crowd experienced all four seasons of the year in one afternoon, everybody waited with anticipation the two maidens for 2 year olds on the programme today. The fillies' version, €24,000 Prix de Toutevoie (1600mT) was won by much anticipated Aga Khan filly Darma (Fr - Danehill Dancer) but not quite in the impressive fashion that we were led to expect. She sat out the back of the field under the guidance of future stable jockey Christophe Lemaire, due to Christophe Soumillon being suspended today, writes Sally Ann Grassick.
She then made her way gradually through the field to beat the Richard Gibson-trained filly Flying Grace (Fr - Muhtathir) by three quarters of a length. Flying Grace was purchased for €125,000 by Patricia Boutin at the 2008 Arqana August yearling sale (click here for her pedigree). The joy for the connections of Darma was short lived as the filly seemed to take a false step at hack canter when being pulled up after the line by her jockey. Lemaire walked her for a few strides after before jumping off and unsaddling the filly in the middle of the track where she seemed to be quite severely lame. She was quickly loaded into a horse ambulance and taken away for x-rays. Her trainer, Alain de Royer Dupre, later reported her to be suffering from a crack to her fetlock but described it as "not too serious". This injury should not affect the filly's programme as their plan was to run her only once this year in this particular race and then keep her for a career as a 3 year old. Darma is a French Derby winner Darsi (Polish Precedent) and Royer Dupre announced that she could be the best filly of her string after her workmate Rosanara (Sinndar) had scored impressively on Monday, Sept. 1st.
The colts' version followed shortly after under the banner of the €24,000 Prix de Villebon (1600mT) was won by the Andre Fabre trained Battlecat (GB-Tiger Hill) for Darley. He ran very green throughout the race in the hands of Maxime Guyon and spent most of his time looking around instead of in front of him. He was joined out in front of the rest of the field by the Thomas Huet ridden Frederick Handel (GB - Oratorio) for trainer Jonathan Pease. Frederick Handel eventually finished second two and a half lengths behind the winner with the John Hammond runner Adjaad (USA - Horse Chestnut) a further head behind in third. Adjaad, a 2008 Arqana Deauville August €150,000 pucharse by Shadwell (click here for his catalogue page) put up a very good performance and looks to be the one to follow from this race; however the very loose ground at Chantilly made it difficult work for many of the juveniles on today's card. Battlecat is out of the winning mare Applecross (GB - Glint of Gold) who also bred the Prix du Cadran winner Invermark (GB - Machiavellian) when trained by James Fanshawe. John Ferguson offered Gns 200,000 last year at the Tattersalls October One Sale (click here for his catalogue page).
Arc weekend profiles
The day's Listed 3yo fillies race, the €55,000 Prix de la Cochere (1600mT) was won by the Alain de Royer Dupre trained Sweet Hearth (USA - Touch Gold) who held on by a short head from the Christophe Lemaire ridden Rosey de Megeve (GB - Efisio) for trainer Francois Rohaut. The Irish challenger Hallie's Comet (Ire-One Cool Cat) finished 5th for trainer Andrew Kinsella and jockey John Egan. Sweet Hearth was previously trained in Italy where she won a Listed race in 2008 before jumping the rail in the Group 3 Primi Passi. She then came to Alain Royer Dupre's yard where shortly afterwards she finished 3rd in a Listed race here at Chantilly the end of July. Jean Pierre de Gasté, manager to owners Investimenti Immobiliari RI. MA, spoke of their futures plans for this filly, "She will probably run in a Group race the Saturday of the Arc weekend. We are building on the number of horses we have at the moment and the plan in the future is to have more and more horses in training with Mr. De Royer Dupre".
In the €34,000 Prix de la Francilienne (1100mT) it was Cafe Racer (Ire - Royal Applause) who finally got his head in front for the first time this year providing the third in a treble on the card for Alain de Royer Dupre and a double for Gerald Mosse. He sat just on the hindquarters of the Jean-Claude Rouget runner and eventual second placed Letteratura (Ire - Danehill Dancer) throughout the race before accelerating in the last hundred metres to win by a head. Cafe Racer was disappointing on his last run at Deauville on the 19th of August when he was 5th in a race where Letteratura finished 2nd. It was explained that Café Racer, who's entered in Arqana's Arc Sale on October 3rd, didn't handle the trip to Deauville.
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