By Tom Frary
A successful ParisLongchamp au revoir for Frankie was denied in Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix de la Foret, with his beloved Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) losing out by half a length to the Wertheimers' fellow TDN Rising Star Kelina (Ire) (Frankel {GB}–Incahoots {GB}, by Oasis Dream {GB}) who put the cherry on the cake for her sire who both directly and indirectly dominated the Arc.
Unplaced twice since beating the G1 Prix du Moulin heroine Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) decisively in the G2 Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly in June, the 28-1 shot was always travelling strongly for Maxime Guyon under cover in touch with the pace.
Going better than Kinross once the cut-away was reached in the straight, the Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained homebred drifted across that 3-5 favourite's path 100 metres from the post which was to prompt an inquiry and some anxious moments for connections. Momentarily checked, Frankie had conjured a strong rally from last year's winner to narrow the winning margin but the stewards ultimately ruled that Kelina was value for the win and allowed her to keep it. The G1 Haydock Sprint Cup runner-up Shouldvebeenaring (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) was 1 1/4 lengths away in third.
Kelina, who had approached this card's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac in 2022 unbeaten and started as the 21-10 favourite only to finish last, had looked to have put that behind her when fourth in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and when dominant in the Sandringham. Beating only one home in Deauville's G1 Prix Rothschild and in the G1 Prix du Moulin here last month, she was one that it seemed safe to ignore on the pari-mutuel but Laffon-Parias had always retained faith.
“Last time she came here she didn't run well and we didn't really have an explanation, but the soft ground was obviously not in her favour,” he said. “She didn't have a very good draw in the Moulin and we were going to wait with her, but she just didn't run her race and that allowed her to come here today fresh. We had been invited to go to Keeneland for the Queen Elizabeth II and accepted, but then we made the decision to come here so we are pleased we made the right choice.”
Racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau stated that the GI Breeders' Cup Mile is on the minds of her owner-breeders. “She could tackle that and she could stay in training next year if Carlos thinks she is in the right condition.”
Despite the interference to Kinross, his trainer Ralph Beckett was refusing to accept that it had cost him the race. “We were second best on the day and that's it. We weren't good enough,” he said.
Middleham Park Racing's Tom Palin was delighted with the effort of Shouldvebeenaring and said, “He's a wonderful horse who always gives his best and yet again ran very well. He's really a 1200-metres horse and he got jostled at the start before getting back on an even keel. This may be the last time that he encounters good ground this year, but the Breeders' Cup is also a possibility. Several stud farms have tabled offers to stand him as a stallion.”
Pedigree Notes
Kelina's listed-winning dam Incahoots, who is also responsible for the Listed Prix Petite Etoile runner-up Ansilia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), cost the operation 420,000gns at the 2015 Tatts December Sale. A full-sister to the dual listed-winning and G3 Prix de Lieurey-placed Dream Clover (GB), her G3 Prix de Flore-winning dam In Clover (GB) (Inchinor {GB}) produced two Group 1 winners at this meeting in Frankel's Prix du Cadran hero Call The Wind (GB) and Prix de l'Opera scorer We Are (Ire).
In Clover also threw another high-class Dansili in With You (GB), heroine of the G1 Prix Rothschild, and is also the second dam of last year's G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Queen Trezy (Fr) (Almanzor {Fr}) and the third dam of the recent G2 Prix de Malleret-placed Yorokobi (Fr) (Camelot {GB}). She hails from the family of the G1 Prix Jean Romanet heroine Aristia (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) and the G1 Hong Kong Vase winner Dominant (Ire) (Cacique {Ire}). Incahoots also has the winner's once-raced 2-year-old stablemate and half-brother Kahoot (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a yearling full-brother to Kelina named Kindleo (GB) and a colt foal by the same sire again named Epicurien (GB).
Banstead Manor Stud @JuddmonteFarms sire FRANKEL (GB) now has 32 Gr.1 winners to his name following the success of KELINA in the @paris_longchamp Gr.1 Prix de la Foret.😍pic.twitter.com/rkjhYQYIg5
— GBRI (@GBRI_UK) October 1, 2023
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX DE LA FORET-G1, €350,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-1, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:17.17, g/s.
1–KELINA (IRE), 127, f, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Incahoots (GB) (SW-Fr), by Oasis Dream (GB)
2nd Dam: In Clover (GB), by Inchinor (GB)
3rd Dam: Bellarida (Fr), by Bellypha (Ire)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-Wertheimer & Frere (IRE); T-Carlos Laffon-Parias; J-Maxime Guyon. *1/2 to Ansilia (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), SP-Fr. €199,990. Lifetime Record: 9-4-1-0, €342,995. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Kinross (GB), 128, g, 6, Kingman (GB)–Ceilidh House (GB), by Selkirk. O-Marc Chan; B-Lawn Stud (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. €80,010.
3–Shouldvebeenaring (GB), 126, c, 3, Havana Grey (GB)–Lady Estella (Ire), by Equiano (Fr). (£40,000 Ylg '21 GOFFUK). O-Middleham Park Racing XVIII; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Richard Hannon. €40,005.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 27.80, 0.60, 35.00.
Also Ran: Pogo (Ire), King Gold (Fr), Exxtra (Fr), Happy Romance (Ire), Sauterne (Fr), National Service (Fr), Breizh Sky (Fr), Topgear (Fr), Fang (Fr), Cachet (Ire), Dabawa (Fr). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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