Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Group 1)

THE pendulum swung back the way of Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin team at ParisLongchamp last Sunday.

Having watched Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore dominate the two English Guineas the previous weekend, and after the disappointment of the performance of Ghaiyyath in the Prix Ganay at this venue a week earlier, this time the ‘Boys In Blue’ were able to celebrate with a Guineas double of their own, in the process taking their overall tally of Group 1 victories to 300, through the victories of Persian King and Castle Lady.

A little of the gloss may have been taken off the achievement given Godolphin only own 50% of Persian King, that share purchased at the completion of his two-year-old campaign, while Castle Lady, was trained in the depths of the French countryside by Alex Pantall rather than by one of Godolphin’s two Newmarket-based trainers.

However, downplaying the magnitude of their triumph would be churlish given that there are strong indications that both horses are likely to step up from these performances and could well be leading players when the end-of-term gongs are handed out.

Physically, there is no comparison between the pair. Indeed, few horses in training could hold a candle to Persian King, a tall, physically imposing son of Kingman.

CHEEKILY

Not one to hand out bouquets at random, Andre Fabre summed things up cheekily when, while as usual refusing to engage with the local media, he signed off a post-race television interview with Sky Sports Racing’s Martin Kelly by suggesting that his classic hero was a ‘Cheltenham type!’

Just imagine what the likes of Mullins, Elliott, Henderson and Nicholls would think if they arrived at Prestbury Park to find a blue-blooded animal with ‘AF’ emblazoned on his rug strutting around the parade ring!

The Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains was a very clean race, which must have come as a great relief to France Galop officials 12 months on from when their champion jockey, Christophe Soumillon, threatening to go on strike after the race in protest at the state of the track.

Rather than the suitability of the surface and grass growth, this time around all the pre-race gossip was about how soft it would ride given that a wet spell had caused the official going description to be changed to ‘Holding’.

Although unproven on such testing terrain, Persian King was still sent off at a startlingly short 2-5 favourite in Pari-Mutuel betting, albeit coupled with the Prix Djebel winner, Munitions.

He gave his legion of backers a few moments of concern, though he did leave the impression in the last 100 yards that he was just beginning to flounder on the ground, hence the winning margin was a bare length.

Senza Limiti, one of three British raiders in a field reduced to 10 by the late scratching of two thirds of the expected Irish contingent, set a good pace before giving way to Shaman at the two-furlong pole.

It was here that the false rail, adopted for the first time in 2018, came into its own as it allowed Persian King, who had been racing kindly against the fence in the middle of the field, to make use of the protected inside line straight after the cutaway.

IMPRESSIVE

With little obvious encouragement from jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot, he slipped through to take the lead with over a furlong to run and seemed set for an impressive triumph. Yet Shaman kept going admirably, challenged on his outside by the longshot, San Donato, and Boudot did eventually have to become quite active to ensure victory would be his.

Shaman held on for second by a head, the front three almost two lengths clear of Graignes, while Aidan O’Brien’s solitary representative, Van Beethoven, was beaten a total of five lengths into fifth, half a length in front of the only horse ever to have beaten the winner, the Freddy Head-trained Anodor.

“The ground was not in Persian King’s favour today but he was brave and showed that he is a fighter,” Fabre reacted.

“The plan has always been to take him to the Prix du Jockey-Club and he looks like he will stay that trip [10 and a half furlongs] but he is also entered in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot so I will consult with his owners, Sheikh Mohammed and Diane Wildenstein.”

Boudot, who was registering the first of what will surely become a long list of French classic victories, said: “Persian King was a bit fresh in the Prix de Fontainebleau last time out but today, right from cantering down to the start, I felt that he was calm and relaxed.”

“During the race he did everything himself, I didn’t need to touch him. He took a bit more time to engage top gear than in the Fontainebleau but once he quickened I knew almost straight away that I had everyone covered.”

“The ground was a bit sticky and he will certainly be better on ‘good’ but he showed his quality today. We found ourselves a bit isolated after getting through on the inside after the false rail but I preferred that to switching right across to the outside,that might have been a dangerous move.”

“He will definitely be suited by a longer trip. In my opinion, he got a bit outpaced when the race hotted up today before quickening up steadily.”

“He’s a massive horse, who will surely progress further,” Boudot concluded.

The vanquished did not try to make excuses, though Shaman’s draw (in stall 11) must have been a slight disadvantage when compared with the winner (who broke from stall 2).

Trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias said: “There’s not much to it, Shaman was just beaten by a very good horse and was far from disgraced. I suppose with a lower draw he might have used up a bit less energy to get an early position.”

“We’ve now got to decide between the Prix du Jockey-Club and the St James’s Palace Stakes. His owner-breeders, the Wertheimers, have others for Chantilly, and I am tempted by Ascot, but he does run like a horse who will be suited by further.”

The run of San Donato on his seasonal debut thrilled Roger Varian, who said: “We were expecting him to go well, though we weren’t quite sure if he would get the mile. There are two races for him at Royal Ascot, either over a mile or seven furlongs, and the Prix Jean Prat [on July 7th], which has been cut back to seven furlongs.”

Anodor, another to compete without the benefit of a prep race, ran creditably enough and will stay over this course and distance to contest the Prix Paul de Moussac (on June 16th).