By Tom Frary
Putting the “wow factor” into Friday night's G1 Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp, Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard's TDN Rising Star Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}–Knyazhna {Ire}, by Montjeu {Ire}) swooped on unsuspecting victims to provide further proof of the outstanding merit of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club form. Only fourth behind Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) in that 10 1/2-furlong Chantilly Classic, the Pascal Bary trainee who had dazzled on his first two starts looked an unlikely winner throughout the early stages with Cristian Demuro detached in last.
It was not until the turn into the straight that the eventual winner truly engaged and while he had all rivals still to pass there, he was in their range and ready to fire his bullets. Ryan Moore committed first on the Irish Derby runner-up Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) with the 8-5 favourite Soul Sister (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) chasing hard, but it was Feed The Flame who was finishing with the biggest rattle on the outside. Looking as if he had jumped in 100 metres from the finish, the 13-5 second favourite was in domineering mood as he registered a length verdict over Adelaide River, with the Oaks heroine Soul Sister a neck away in third.
“He's a great horse,” Bary said. “The Prix du Jockey Club came a little soon for him and 2400 metres is his true distance. He broke slow, but he needs time to warm up and he has terrific acceleration. I won this race for Juddmonte with Zambezi Sun and both horses had exactly the same career up to this, winning the same first two races and then finishing fourth in the Jockey Club, so history can repeat itself sometimes. We will give him a break now and wait for September and the [G2] Prix Niel and then the Arc.”
Feed The Flame strikes late to win the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris at @paris_longchamp! pic.twitter.com/Q2GHNkxA3V
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 14, 2023
So demonstrative when successful by 5 1/2 lengths over 10 1/2 furlongs on the opening card of ParisLongchamp's 2023 season, Feed The Flame beat the subsequent G3 Prix Hocquart winner First Minister (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and fellow TDN Rising Star Silver Crack (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}) next time over another 55 yards in this venue's Prix de Ferrieres conditions race prior to his first genuine test in the Jockey Club. This was probably an upgrade on that effort after a subsequent freshener, but it is hard to get away from how strong that race looks this year, with Ace Impact recording stunning sectionals to deny the top-class Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}).
Jean-Louis Bouchard said, “Christophe Soumillon said after his second outing that he was probably more of a 2400-metre colt rather than a Prix du Jockey Club colt and so an Arc type. We've been working together with Pascal Bary for a long time. With my trainers, it's very much a team effort and I'm also thinking of Stephane Wattel because it's thanks to him that if I own Feed the Flame as he trained the colt's brother Sacred Life for me who should have won his race.”
Soul Sister appeared to have no excuses in third and Kieran Shoemark said, “We didn't go particularly quick, which suited us because she's got a strong turn of foot and I tried to utilise that into the straight. She picked up well for me, but I struggled to peg back Ryan [Moore] and I think we've been beaten by a very good colt.”
Thady Gosden echoed that sentiment. “The winner looks an exceptional colt. He quickened by the whole field from arguably the worst position in the race like a proper horse,” he said. “He looked smart coming into this and was supplemented like our filly, he's probably one of the best mile-and-a-half horses around at the moment. She's run a very good race in defeat to him. There are options back with the fillies now, we'll see how she comes out of it and probably do that.”
Pedigree Notes
Feed The Flame is the sixth of seven foals and fourth winner out of the unraced Knyazhna, a half-sister to the dual group 2-placed sire Migwar (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) who produced the aforementioned Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) whose career successes included the GIII Monmouth S., GIII Knickerbocker S. and G3 Prix Thomas Bryon. Also responsible for the G2 Prix Hocquart third Khagan (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), she is a granddaughter of the Listed Rose Bowl S. winner Crystal Crossing (Ire) (Royal Academy) who produced the G1 St Leger-winning sire and Derby runner-up Rule Of Law (Kingmambo), the GII Churchill Distaff Turf Mile runner-up Dame Marie (Smart Strike) and the listed-placed dam of the G3 Chartwell Fillies S. winner Tomyris (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her unraced 2-year-old colt Gulf Legend (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) was a €300,000 private purchase at the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale.
Friday, ParisLongchamp, France
GRAND PRIX DE PARIS-G1, €600,000, ParisLongchamp, 7-14, 3yo, c/f, 12fT, 2:26.71, g/s.
1–FEED THE FLAME (GB), 129, c, 3, by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Knyazhna (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Katyusha, by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Crystal Crossing (Ire), by Royal Academy
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST G1 WIN. TDN Rising Star. (€270,000 Ylg '21 ARQAUG). O-Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard; B-Ecurie des Monceaux, Lordship Stud & Clear Light SAS (GB); T-Pascal Bary; J-Cristian Demuro. €342,840. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, €113,150. *1/2 to Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), MGSW-US & GSW-Fr, $920,768; and Khagan (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}), MGSP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Adelaide River (Ire), 129, c, 3, Australia (GB)–Could It Be Love, by War Front. O-Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith/Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €137,160.
3–Soul Sister (Ire), 126, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Dream Peace (Ire), by Dansili (GB). O/B-Lady Bamford (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. €68,580.
Margins: 1, NK, 3HF. Odds: 2.60, 4.20, 1.60.
Also Ran: First Minister (Ire), Winter Pudding (Fr), Rubis Vendome (GB), Peking Opera (Ire), Silawi (Ire). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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