Prix du Moulin (Group 1)
CHARYN and jockey Sylvestre de Sousa know all about the dangers of letting a classy rival loose on the lead.
It happened to them at Newbury in May in the Lockinge Stakes, when Audience slipped clear and still had the best part of two lengths in hand at the line, and a similar scenario played out at ParisLongchamp last Sunday when the Godolphin-owned Tribalist proved uncatchable in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin.
Analysis of both races suggests that Charyn was comfortably the best horse on the day, but sometimes circumstances conspire against you.
The Roger Varian-trained son of Dark Angel began this season on a long losing streak and without a top two finish in five Group 1 tries, so four victories from six 2024 outings, including two at the top level, is a pretty decent achievement. Yet it could so easily have been six-from-six.
Ideally suited by ground that was genuinely soft, Tribalist was given a perfectly-judged ride by Mickael Barzalona. Without ever going too fast, he took the best part of a furlong to establish a lead, then, just a quarter of a mile later, he was suddenly eight lengths clear of all of his six rivals apart from the outsider Caramelito.
Breather
Barzalona was then able to give his mount a breather rounding the final bend and, having brought the five-year-old son of Farhh under pressure soon after passing the two furlong marker, the partnership had built up a big enough advantage to cross the line a length and a quarter ahead of the strong-finishing Charyn.
Aidan O’Brien’s Henry Longfellow was another three lengths back in third with Caramelito also making the most of his favourable track position in fourth, only losing the bronze medal position to the Irish raider in the final 30 yards.
The crack three-year-old Notable Speech, wheels spinning on this testing surface, could manage no better than fifth.
Win a big one
Barzalona, who had ridden the winner on all bar one of his 20 previous starts including during two Group 2 triumphs, reacted: “I know Tribalist pretty well by now, and know how to gauge his effort. The ground certainly helped and he deserved to win a big one.”
Varian was admirably magnanimous in defeat, not using Charyn’s lost front shoe as an excuse and refusing to hang de Sousa out to dry. “It’s frustrating but it’s wrong to blame the jockey in these circumstances,” He said. “He’s run a great race, but it’s hard to give away such a big head start on this ground, so we can’t be disappointed with his performance and just have to tip our hats to the winner.
“The QEII in six weeks’ time has always been Charyn’s big autumn goal and that remains the case.”
Fabre did not give much of the credit for the victory to either himself or his jockey, instead insisting that it was a testament to Tribalist’s talent.
“The Prix de la Foret is the only real option left for him in Europe, then he might go for the Breeders’ Cup,” Fabre said. Godolphin has won the last three Breeders’ Cup Miles, and that record could well be extended this November as trainer Charlie Appleby also nominated the Del Mar showpiece as the next target for Notable Speech.
Knight shines
Fabre and Barzalona were at it again 35 minutes later when the Irish-bred Camelot four-year-old Sevenna’s Knight gave weight and a two-length beating to Dermot Weld’s Harbour Wind in the Group 3 Prix Gladiateur over a mile, seven furlongs and 110 yards.
This result, the third ParisLongchamp pattern success that Sevenna’s Knight has notched this term, saw 78-year-old Fabre extend his already sizeable lead at the top of the French Trainers’ Championship as he bids for a 32nd title.
Two and a half years Fabre’s junior, Weld can only dream of adding to his 21 Irish crowns. Instead, while the Australian-owned winner is set to stay in Europe to contest the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (provided there remains plenty of juice in the ground), Weld may try to add to his legend by grabbing a third Melbourne Cup with Harbour Wind, who prefers a sounder surface.
“He looked like he was going to win a furlong out,” Weld said. “But the ground is slower than he likes and he’s not run for a long time so I think he’ll improve for it. I will have a chat with his owner before we think about taking him to Melbourne.”
TWO of Sunday’s other three Group 3 trophies were exported to Britain, one thanks to a highly promising three-year-old in Ombudsman and the other one via a fine effort from the old warrior Certain Lad, who is no less than eight years old.
John and Thady Gosden have been at pains to take things gently with the immature Ombudsman, and the wisdom of that approach was again borne out in the mile and two furlong Prix du Prince d’Orange as the Irish-bred Night Of Thunder colt showed considerable waywardness, earning his jockey William Buick a two-day suspension as a result, en route to gaining a half-length verdict over Start Of Day. Owned by Godolphin, he is now unbeaten in four lifetime starts and might end up as good as Ghaiyyath, who won this very race for the boys in blue in 2018 prior to grabbing no less than four Group 1 victories.
Certain Lad once ran against Ghaiyyath (when fourth to him in a Meydan Group 3) yet is still going strong and covered the same course and distance in 2.5 seconds faster than Ombudsman while holding off Haya Zark by a length to land La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte and give both trainer Jack Channon and jockey George Bass their initial group race victories.
THE French trainers did manage to keep the Group 3 Prix La Rochette at home, the Christopher Head-trained Wootton Bassett two-year-old Houquetot passing the post three-quarters of a length to the good from Heybetli with Joseph O’Brien’s challenger Midnight Strike a disappointing sixth of eight in this seven-furlong contest.
However, Houquetot was not the best Head-trained Wootton Bassett juvenile to run last weekend.
No, that honour goes to Saturday’s eight-length Chantilly winner, Maranoa Charlie, who is now two-from-two and has the look of a potential champion.
However, Head has already gone out on a limb by calling him ‘the best horse that I have ever trained’ on more than one occasion.