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Thursday 9th September 2010, Longchamp (www.jourdegalop.com) Helleborine (Observatory) is the best 2 year old over a mile in France this year. On Thursday she romped home in the €80,000 Prix d'Aumale (Gr3 – 2yo Fillies – 1600m) against a small field of top quality. She is now quoted as favourite for the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1, 03/10). However history is against her as no winner of the Prix d'Aumale has gone on to win he Marcel Boussac since Mary Linoa in 1988. Held up at the back of the field, Helleborine made up ground with ease in the straight and her jockey changed his whip from one hand to the other in order for her to accelerate away from her rivals. The quality of Helleborine has never been in question since her first start but on Thursday she really proved her class on ground that was softer than she would prefer.
Immortal Verse (Pivotal) also showed great potential and proved her trainer Robert Collet’s high opinion of her to be justified by taking second place five lengths behind the winner. Nitza (Indygo Shiner) was half a length behind in third place with Split Trois (Dubawi) a further behind in fourth and last place.
Bred by Juddmonte Farms, Helleborine is out of New Orchid (Quest for Fame), who won her maiden over 2,000m at Newcastle before finishing Gr3 et dans une Listed. At stud her first foal was African Rose (Observatory), winner of the Sprint Cup (Gr1) at Doncaster as a 3 year old.
Melezes – Freddy Head floating on a Moonlight Cloud
“I have never trained a 2 new year old of this calibre. She could now go for the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (Gr1, 3/10)”, announced Freddy Head after the impressive display produced by his charge Moonlight Cloud (Invincible Spirit) in the €34,000 Prix des Mélèzes (2yos – 1400m). Quickly away in the hands of Davy Bonilla, she was a little keen when Turn of Phrase (Distorted Humor) came upsides to challenge her for the lead. In the straight she galloped with ease under her motionless jockey who looked behind on numerous occasions at the rivals in their wake. Six lengths was the official distance on the line back to her nearest rival Turn of Phrase. Cerveza (Medicean) put up a good performance on her first run to finish third a further two and a half lengths back.
Moonlight Cloud is not entered in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1) but due to her speed she holds an entry in the Prix d’Arenberg (Gr3, 1,100m) but also in the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (Gr1) over the same track and distance as this Thursday.
Moonlight Cloud was bred by her owner Georges Strawbridge. She is out of Ventura (Spectrum), who was Listed placed over 1,600m. Ventura is also the dam of Cedar Mountain (Galileo), a Listed winner and Gr2 placed in the USA.
Masseliere – Putyball follows in Moonlight Cloud’s footsteps
Moonlight Cloud (Invincible Spirit) won the Prix des Mélèzes and her runner up for their joint debuts Putyball (Silver Deputy), also shone on Thursday at Longchamp an hour later in the €34,000 Prix de la Masselière (2yo Fillies-1600m). She was slower and less impressive than on the sand at Deauville but she beat a talented bunch in this prep race for the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1). “It is not every day that I win these kind of races with a 2 year old at Longchamp and then go on to run in the "Boussac"”, declared Xavier Nakkachdji, trainer of Putyball.
Putyball came through to beat the leader Gorgeous Sixty (Touch of The Blues) by a neck with Andre Fabre’s Regency Romance (Diktat) a further head behind in third.
Exemplify (Dansili)
was disappointing when finishing fifth and second last. She will not go for the Marcel Boussac as had been previously mentioned but will instead be given a break and return next year.
Bred by the Wycoff family, Putyball is by Silver Deputy who’s only other offspring to run in France was Leonaldo, a two time winner for Jean-Claude Rouget. Putyball was purchased by owners Prime Equestrian for €50,000 at the Arqana Breeze Ups in Saint Cloud earlier this year (click here for catalogue page).
Craon – Royal d’Arc goes one better
In 2009, Royal d’Arc (Le Triton) finished second in the €45,000 Prix de Craon (4&5yo AQPS – 2400m), the "Arc" for AQPS horses. This year he got his revenge by winning this Grand Prix des AQPS from Roseau de Loire (SF-Smadoun), who beat him recently at Clairefontaine. Eric Leray’s charge has had a very successful flat career with an impressive seven successes, including the
Prix Bango, and three places from 11 starts in this discipline. Roseau de Loire finished two and a half lengths behind the winner with the mare Roche Brune (SF-Ragmar) a further three quarters of a length behind in third place. >>
Royal d’Arc is the first offspring out of Lextrienne (Neustrien), who never ran. His second dam, Akène Iv (Kashtan), produced Pandolphe (Passing Sale) who was fifth in the Grand Steeple-
Chase de Paris (Gr1).
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