By Sean Cronin
One of the few to welcome the ravages of the storm front, connections of Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) were celebrating after their filly made light of ParisLongchamp's conditions to win Saturday's G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu. With trainer David Menuisier openly toying with the idea of supplementing for Sunday's Arc beforehand, the warning was there for opponents of Christopher Wright's bargain buy who had already demonstrated her deadliness in this ground when winning Deauville's Aug. 16 G3 Prix Minerve. Sent off the 49-10 favourite as a result, the bay travelled with customary zest granted a lead from the G1 Preis der Diana winner Miss Yoda (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) before sauntering to the front at the top of the 500-metre straight. Giving generously to Tony Piccone despite hanging left, she had 1 1/4 lengths to spare over Pista (American Pharoah) where it mattered, with five lengths back to Ebaiyra (Distorted Humor) in third.
The owner's racing manager Crispin de Moubray said of the €40,000 Arqana August purchase, “I am delighted for the owner and for David [Menuisier], who is a promising young trainer and has a first group 1 winner. I loved this filly when I bought her at the sales and she has rewarded us nicely. We know the softer the ground the better for her and at some stage, with the rain forecast over Paris, David even thought of supplementing her to the Arc. That is how well she was doing, but in the end it was a wise decision to run here and she is now a group 1 winner. Depending on how she comes out of this race, she might go for the [G1 Qipco British] Champion Fillies and Mares race at Ascot. She will definitely stay in training next year.”
Wonderful Tonight had won in this country at two when taken to Saint-Cloud for a 10-furlong maiden in November and returned to Britain to finish fourth behind the classy Franconia (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Cabaletta (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) and Chamade (GB) (Sepoy {Aus}) in Newbury's Listed Abingdon Fillies' S. over the same trip June 13. Second to Saturday's G2 Qatar Prix Chaudenay winner Valia (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the Listed Prix de Thiberville over a mile and a half here July 23, she exacted revenge on that Aga Khan homebred in the Minerve before finishing fifth in the G1 Prix Vermeille also over 12 furlongs when ground conditions were lively last time Sept. 13.
Menuisier reflected on the landmark moment afterwards. “I am so proud of the filly. She is very tough and I think it was a well-deserved win, because she didn't do it the easy way,” he said. “She was still a bit keen throughout and I think it's greenness. She's still not the finished article. There is, in my opinion, bags of improvement to come in the way she does things. We need to play running at Ascot by ear. She might be kicking and bucking in five days, because she is a bit like that. If she does we might think about it. She will stay in training, all being well, and the main target will be the Arc next year. We had a discussion about supplementing her this year. It was tongue in cheek, or maybe it wasn't. If I had known Love wasn't running maybe I would have pushed even harder to supplement her. I'm not saying she would have won, but I think she would not have been far away.”
Recalling the day Wonderful Tonight was bought at Deauville, he added, “She was unsold in the ring, I knew the breeders and they asked me to look at her. I loved the way she walked–she was light on her feet, like a spider. She was such a good mover. On the same day, Chris Wright sold the top lot to Godolphin and when I went to congratulate him, the discussion went on to something else. I told him about this filly, saying she didn't look much, because she was a backward filly but once she's come together she could be a good purchase. They only wanted 40,000 euros and he said 'okay-if you like her, have her vetted, and buy her' and that's what we did.”
Wonderful Tonight dam Salvation (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), who also produced the stakes winner Penjade (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}), is out of the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial scorer Birdie (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}) whose progeny include the GIII Providencia S. scorer Hostess (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}). Birdie is kin to the listed-winning Fickle (GB) (Danehill), whose G3 Dahlia S.-winning daughter Tarfah (Kingmambo) was responsible for the G1 2000 Guineas, Epsom and Irish Derby hero and leading sire Camelot (GB) by Salvation's sire Montjeu. Also connected to the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Polygamy (GB), Salvation has a 2-year-old full-sister to Wonderful Tonight who was bought for €80,000 by Saubouas Bloodstock at last year's Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale. She also has a yearling colt and filly foal by Recorder (GB), with the former due to sell at the upcoming Arqana Deauville October Yearling Sale.
Saturday, ParisLongchamp, France
QATAR PRIX DE ROYALLIEU-G1, €180,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-3, 3yo/up, f/m, 14fT, 3:11.22, hy.
1–WONDERFUL TONIGHT (FR), 122, f, 3, by Le Havre (Ire)
1st Dam: Salvation (GB), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Birdie (GB), by Alhaarth (Ire)
3rd Dam: Fade (GB), by Persepolis (Fr)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€40,000 Ylg '18 ARAUG). O-Christopher N Wright; B-Ecurie de Montfort & Preaux (FR); T-David Menuisier; J-Tony Piccone. €102,852. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-1, €164,740. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pista, 122, f, 3, American Pharoah–Mohini (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). ($675,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Scott Heider; B-Lynch Bages Ltd (KY); T-Joseph O'Brien. €41,148.
3–Ebaiyra, 122, f, 3, Distorted Humor–Ebiyza (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (KY); T-Alain de Royer-Dupre. €20,574.
Margins: 1 1/4, 5, 1 3/4. Odds: 4.90, 5.20, 6.30.
Also Ran: Mashael (Fr), Passion (Ire), Kalifornia Queen (Ger), Palomba (Ire), Paix (Ire), Miss Yoda (Ger), Monica Sheriff (GB), Manuela de Vega (Ire), Spirit of Appin (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
