Haras d’Etreham Prix Jean Prat (Group 1)

IF you are a form book student and like supporting your opinions with a financial investment, avoid the Group 1 Haras d’Etreham Prix Jean Prat when deciding which races to analyse next July.

After Law Of Indices and Good Guess, last Sunday Puchkine became the third winner in the last four renewals of this Deauville straight seven-furlong three-year-old event to be returned at odds of greater that 24/1, one whose prospects beforehand looked about as rosy as Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning over the Wimbledon fans in a popularity contest.

In four previous 2024 starts, the son of Starspangledbanner had won just a little conditions race down in Toulouse, and he was held on the form of his most recent outing, the Group 3 Prix Paul de Moussac, by both Havana Cigar and Sajir.

Yet, his sporting owner-breeder, Alain Jathiere, had seen enough promise to merit a supplementary entry at the cost of €28,800, and Puchkine rewarded that gamble with a dominant performance, prevailing in the style of an odds-on shot rather than a 35/1 outsider.

Perfect lead

Ridden much more aggressively than in recent appearances, he got the perfect lead from Zandy, pacemaker for the favourite, Kikkuli, and, having taken over in front with more two furlongs left to race, was not hard pressed in beating Havana Cigar by two and a half lengths with Beauvatier a nose back in third.

A strong overseas challenge could manage no better than Kathmandu’s fifth place, just in front of Kikkuli, with the Irish raider, Willie McCreery’s Vespertilio, seventh. The result was particularly popular with local racegoers, as both Puchkine and Havana Cigar are trained by the much-loved Jean-Claude Rouget, who oversees a large string of horses both in Deauville and down in Pau and remains conspicuous by his absence from the racecourse as he receives treatment in his ongoing battle against lymphoma.

Good guys

It was fitting that Puchkine was partnered by another of the ‘good guys’ of French racing, Ioritz Mendizabal, who, at the age of 50, is 20 years Rouget’s junior and has been riding for the five-time French champion since way back in 1991.

Jean-Bernard Roth, Rouget’s long-serving lieutenant, was in charge at the Hippodrome de Toques on Sunday, and said: “Puchkine always had enormous potential, but it has taken us a bit of time to sort him out. He’s developed a lot from two to three and we were lucky that we were able to start him off away from the bright lights down in the south west, where he could learn things slowly without doing himself a damage in the process. A straight course really helps him, as does a strong pace, so the Prix Maurice de Gheest [over six furlongs, 100yards at Deauville on August 4th] is a possibility for him.”

Jathiere, one of very few owners currently participating in all three branches of French racing (over jumps, on the level and trotting), was notching his first Group 1 flat victory and said: “The downpour that we had right before the Poule d’Essai des Poulains scuppered his chances and Ioritz rode him beautifully today, letting him stride on. It’s absolutely imperative that his jockey doesn’t fight him.”

ONE of Puchkine’s Maurice de Gheest opponents is likely to be the Richard Hannon-trained Shouldvebeenaring, following the durable Havana Grey colt’s breakthrough pattern success in Sunday’s main supporting race, the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis over six furlongs. Shouldvebeenaring has twice been placed in Group 1 company, as well as losing out by a nose in a Group 2, so merits a return to the Normandy coast next month as he builds up to his big seasonal goal, the Haydock Sprint Cup. He led home a British 1-2-3 here, beating Electric Storm by a short neck with Shartash a neck back in third.