FREDDY Head has struck with nine of his 30 Deauville starters and made it a trio of pattern successes with three-year-old fillies when Tantheem returned from a four and a half month absence to blitz her 10 rivals in the Prix de Meautry Barriere.
This may have only been a Group 3 – Head’s other Deauville leading ladies, With You and Polydream both struck in Group 1s – but it was a performance worthy of a much grander stage.
Bursting out of stall 10 to grab the lead in the centre of the course, this daughter of Teofilo had crossed over to the stands rail after three of the race’s six furlongs and barely needed to be touched by the whip of jockey Aurelien Lemaitre to beat Laugh A Minute by three and a half lengths.
Coincidentally, the winning margin was identical to the one she achieved when landing the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg over the same course and distance 12 months earlier. Like Loxley, she was then allowed to take her chance in Group 1 company, in her case the Prix Morny.
MODEST SIXTH
Only seventh that day, she was a sick horse over the winter, and a modest sixth place finish in the Prix Imprudence in April was her only subsequent start prior to the Meautry, so her inexperience is such that she is open to masses of further improvement.
“I haven’t really thought beyond today but I have always rated Tantheem highly,” Head said. “She has loads of speed so there was no need to mess her around, we just let her stride on.”
Homing in on his 29th French trainers championship, Andre Fabre failed to win any of August’s marquee races but he demonstrated all of his famed patience and skill when his Graphite won the Group 3 Prix Quincey Barriere. The Shamardal colt had been gelded and was off the track for 11 months prior to a solid reappearance run in late July.
Appleby’s Salsabeel carried the Godolphin first colours in preference to Graphite and looked likely to justify that pecking order when a length clear inside the final furlong. However, Mickael Barzalona never gave up and cajoled Graphite to put his head in front in the very last stride.