By Tom Frary
There was every reason to believe that a genuine future star of the 2021 Classic season was on display at Saint-Cloud on Tuesday as Godolphin, Ecurie des Monceaux and Ecurie Skymarc Farm's Philomene (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) made light work of the G3 Prix Penelope over the 10 1/2-furlong Prix de Diane distance. Off the mark by a short neck from the subsequent G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Tasmania (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) in a debutantes contest over a mile at ParisLongchamp in September, the Andre Fabre-trained half-sister to the G1 Irish Oaks heroine and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) and the G1 MacKinnon S. and G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was not asked an early question by Mickael Barzalona sauntering in fourth. Making up ground on the leaders with ease as they worked over to the stand's rail, the €1.625million 2019 Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale topper drew alongside Incarville (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and into the lead passing the furlong pole. Hand ridden to score ears pricked by 2 1/2 lengths from that rival, there was the same margin back to Philomene's Listed Prix Rose de Mai-winning stablemate Anasia (GB) (Intello {Ger}) in third to add ballast to the form. “I'm delighted with the way she has run–she had a lovely action and is a really nice filly,” Fabre said of the 4-5 favourite. “I will target the Diane with her and she will have a race in between, but it's too early to say where. She is the only one of the family to have won as a 2-year-old and while she was not that precocious, she has class.”
As the Godolphin website stated, the result also served as a landmark for Dubawi who was becoming the first British stallion to sire 200 stakes winners. Her jockey added, “I was very impatient to see Philomene back on a racetrack and I am very happy with the way she won today. I am sure she will come forward plenty for it. She is a good filly with a lot of class and is very easy to handle, so that will be a very good point in the big races. Andre Fabre knows exactly the way to bring these fillies along. Philomene broke her maiden last year, beating a promising horse, and we have our fingers crossed that she can keep on improving.”
Philomene was big news before she even set foot into the Deauville sales ring, being the eighth foal out of Skymarc Farm and Monceaux's Listed Prix de la Seine winner Prudenzia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) who has achieved significant renown as a broodmare. Her first offering was an instant hit, with the high-class but also quirky Chicquita capturing the aforementioned Curragh Classic having found only Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}) too strong in the Diane. That effort followed a remarkable run-out into the hedge when a surefire winner in a conditions event at this venue, but there was no sign of that kind of wayward tendency as she matured. Eventually snapped up by Coolmore for €6million at the 2013 Goffs November Mares Sale, she went on to finish third in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. and is now the dam of the G3 Silver Flash S. third Secret Thoughts (War Front).
Prudenzia's third foal was Truth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), bought by Minster Stud for €580,000 at last year's Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale and the dam of Divertissement (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}) who also contested this race but ran as if something was amiss in last. In 2015 she threw the amazingly consistent Magic Wand, who aside from winning the MacKinnon was also placed in nine other top-level races across the globe. Her next progeny was the G3 Prix de Royaumont third Je Ne Regretterien (GB) by Galileo, while her 2-year-old colt by that giant was the top-priced colt at last year's Arqana Deauville September Yearling Sale when selling to MV Magnier for €2million.
Her half-sister Pacifique (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) took the G3 Prix de Lutece and was emulated in that feat by her daughter Paix (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) last term, while another of her half-siblings is English King (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) who captured the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial last June before failing to hit the expected heights. The fourth dam Souk (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}) is the ancestress of the Sadler's Wells sensation Alexandrova (Ire), who like Chicquita annexed the Irish Oaks having dominated the Epsom Classic, and the G1 Melbourne Cup hero Rekindling (GB) by that former Coolmore monarch's son High Chaparral (Ire).
Tuesday, Saint-Cloud, France
PRIX PENELOPE-G3, €80,000, Saint-Cloud, 4-6, 3yo, f, 10 1/2fT, 2:15.68, gd.
1–PHILOMENE (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Prudenzia (Ire) (SW-Fr), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Platonic (GB), by Zafonic
3rd Dam: Puce (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (€1,625,000 Ylg '19 ARAUG). O-Godolphin, Ecurie des Monceaux and Ecurie Skymarc Farm; B-Ecurie des Monceaux and Ecurie Skymarc Farm (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Mickael Barzalona. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, €52,400. *1/2 to Chicquita (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 11-14f, G1SW-Ire, G1SP-Eng & Fr, $859,094, & to Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 7-9 1/2f, G1SW-Aus, GSW & MG1SP-Ire, GSW-Eng, MG1SP-Fr, MGISP-US, G1SP-HK, $4,702,433. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Incarville (Fr), 126, f, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Ilhabela (Ire), by Azamour (Ire). O-Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Naji Nahas (FR); T-David Smaga. €16,000.
3–Anasia (GB), 126, f, 3, Intello (Ger)–Sosia (Ger), by Shamardal. O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (GB); T-Andre Fabre. €12,000.
Margins: 2HF, 2HF, 3. Odds: 0.80, 5.70, 2.40.
Also Ran: Stormy Pouss (Fr), Divertissement (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.
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