Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Group 1)

FREDERIC Rossi grabbed his first classic success when Dream And Do held off the late thrust of Speak Of The Devil in the €300,000 Group 1 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches.

Such riches have been a long time coming for 52-year-old Rossi, who has been training for almost three decades and hails from one of the south of France’s most celebrated racing dynasties. His father, Henri, was a prolific jockey in the 1970s and his brother, Jacques, and two nephews, Cedric and Charley, either hold a licence now or have done so in the past.

It was also an historic moment for the up-and-coming training centre of Calas, near Marseille, which was celebrating its first Group 1 success. In truth, though Rossi officially trains at Calas and most of his sizeable string (he won 110 races and saddled 138 different horses in 2019) is based down there, at any given time during the season some 15 of his horses are housed at a satellite yard in Chantilly.

A daughter of Siyouni and the very moderate racemare Venetias Dream, Dream And Do’s triumph was also a local success as she is owned and was bred by the Haras du Logis Saint Germain, which is located little more than 10 miles from Deauville Racecourse.

These are exciting times for the stud, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary next year and has been owned since 2008 by Olivier Carli. It harbours classic ambitions for two more of its progeny: Aidan O’Brien’s Group 2 scorer Royal Lytham in the Irish 2000 Guineas, and the Richard Hughes-trained Brentford Hope in the Derby at Epsom.

The story of the race was Marieta making the running, closely attended by both the favourite, Tropbeau, and Dream And Do. Approaching the furlong pole, it became obvious that Tropbeau was not going to find her expected change of gear.

Flying

Instead, Dream And Do picked up nicely to kick over a length clear, and she needed every milimetre of that advantage to hold off the flying Speak Of The Devil, who was twice forced to switch as she came from last of the 12 runners to almost grab the prize. The winning time was over 1.5 seconds slower than the colts managed.

Rossi said: “This is very emotional and Dream And Do is a champion. All credit to Maxime Guyon, who rode her to perfection, as a mile is absolutely as far as she wants to go.

“Deauville has been a lucky track for me and she is set to come back here for her next race – she could drop back to seven furlongs for the Prix Jean Prat or, more likely, we will keep her against her own sex in the Prix Rothschild.”

A Group 3 winner on heavy ground as a juvenile, she was reversing placings with her recent Prix de la Grotte conqueror, Tropbeau, who this time could manage no better than fourth.

Deauville trainer Fabrice Chappet, winner of this race when it was last contested on his home track, in 2017, was responsible for both Speak Of The Devil and third-placed Mageva, both of whom had never previously even been placed in group company.

FRENCH King, a son of the Haras du Logis Saint Germain’s resident stallion French Fifteen, had been strongly fancied to take Sunday’s Deauville feature, the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly over an extended mile and a half. But though he put up a solid effort from the front to finish second, he was brushed aside in the closing stages by Way To Paris.

Clearly still improving at the age of seven and transformed from mudlark to fast ground horse, Way To Paris was given a stayers’ campaign last season, when he finished sixth in the Prix du Cadran over two and a half miles.

Last month he showed he still had plenty of speed when beaten by only three-quarters of a length by Shaman in a one-mile, two-furlong Group 2. The explosive turn of foot he displayed here suggests that trainer Andrea Marcialis would be justified at giving him a second crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – a race he was beaten by less than six lengths in two years ago.

Sunday’s other Group 2 at Deauville was won by the similarly named but unrelated Tour To Paris, who also scorched clear late to land the five-furlong Prix du Gros-Chene by no less than four lengths. The similarities don’t end there as, while Way To Paris began his career in Italy, Tour To Paris started his in the even quieter backwater of Budapest, where he was a champion at both two and three years old and was unbeaten in eight starts.

Now with Pia Brandt, he had been well-beaten in all five previous 2020 starts, including in Dubai, but appreciated not having to race between horses here under a good ride from Christophe Soumillon.

Ocean Atlantique puts in exciting run

ARGUABLY the most exciting performance at Deauville on Sunday was posted by Ocean Atlantique in the Listed Prix de Suresnes for three-year-olds over a mile and a quarter.

Trained by André Fabre and owned by Coolmore Stud having been purchased for a whopping €1.1 million at the Arqana breeze-ups in May 2019, Ocean Atlantique is a son of the US Triple Crown hero American Pharaoh and has such luminaries as Leroidesanimaux and Hasili on the dam’s side of his pedigree.

He was forced to make his own running and sauntered home by five lengths. Given a very tender ride when runner-up to Pao Alto on his comeback run, he could easily take revenge on that rival in a planned rematch in the Prix du Jockey Club.