By Tom Frary
While John Gosden was overseeing the comeback of Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) at Sandown, Clarehaven were making their considerable presence felt at Chantilly as Prince Faisal's Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) captured the G1 Prix du Jockey Club. Impressive when dominating the June 6 Listed Newmarket S., the Nawara Stud homebred was ridden forward to a prominent position from his favourable draw by Ioritz Mendizabal and that made a world of difference due to the lack of a strong tempo. Eventually getting a gap inside the final furlong, the 15-2 shot hit the front 100 metres from the finish and surged away for a 1 3/4-length defeat of The Summit (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), with the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) a neck back in third.
“John Gosden is without any doubt one of the best trainers in the world and just getting the call to ride was already an honour,” Mendizabal said. “He's a top-class horse and I had the perfect trip. Mr Gosden told me not to break the action of the horse and to give him as much of a fluent trip than I could and that's exactly what happened. He was perfectly relaxed after taking a little bit of a hold on the first turn and when he found the gap he really exploded. He was perfectly prepared for that and all I had to do was to finish the job. I think he'll stay further and will have no trouble with a mile and a half. To win another Classic after all these years feels like the first time over again.”
Having been fourth over seven furlongs on debut at Yarmouth and third over a mile at Newbury in the space of 11 days in October, Mishriff bounced out of those encounters to score by 10 lengths over an extended mile on heavy ground at Nottingham in early November. Second to Full Flat (Speightstown) in the Feb. 29 Saudi Derby at Riyadh, he returned to Europe to put the subsequent Listed Fairway S. winner Volkan Star (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in his place with a four-length success in the Newmarket. Close up behind Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and TDN Rising Star Ocean Atlantique (American Pharoah) initially as TDN Rising Star Victor Ludorum was forced to the rear after a tardy start, Mishriff was ideally placed as the pressure increased in early straight.
While Mickael Barzalona was winding up the 2-1 favourite Victor Ludorum on the outside with lengths to make up, Mendizabal was looking for racing room which was denied him at first. Switched to come around The Summit and baulking Pao Alto (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in the process, he was level with Victor Ludorum 100 metres from the line but while the latter had used up all his gas to get on terms Mishriff had plenty left and settled the result quickly. The winner's interference to Pao Alto prompted an inquiry, but the result was allowed to stand.
Gosden commented, “He is a lovely horse. The owner-breeder was very keen to go for the Prix du Jockey Club and Mr Mendizabal rode him beautifully after we discussed it this morning. I thought the most impressive part of the race was the last 100 metres. It is my first French Derby, but I've messed up a couple before! He has done nothing wrong really. He got left behind in Saudi Arabia, then finished the race strongly behind a horse that had Breeders' Cup form. I'm fascinated trip-wise, as he got that extended mile and a quarter. Do we stay at that sort of trip, maybe we do. It was a great result.”
Ted Voute, racing manager to owner Prince Faisal, added, “I actually thought he was in a bit of trouble at one stage. It's probably not his ideal ground, but he really picked up once he got into a good position. He has improved a lot from two to three–funnily enough, so did Make Believe. It's obviously fantastic for the Prince that Make Believe has now sired a Classic winner for him. The way he finished there today, it looks like a mile and a half wouldn't be a problem, so the [G1] Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe could be an option.”
The Summit was running another big race for the Henri-Alex Pantall stable and new owners Lily Chan Li Lei and Marc Chan, with this being a second Classic placing having finished in the same spot in the Poulains. “I had doubts about the trip, but with his dam being by Acatenango I thought he might,” his trainer said. “He almost did it, but we have no excuses–he was beaten by a better horse on the day and has run a great race. We'll see how he comes out of it and decide what to do next.” Godolphin's Lisa-Jane Graffard said of the real eye-catcher of the race, “Victor Ludorum was outstayed by a good winner, but the race wasn't run to suit him and it all went wrong at the start. He showed a great turn of foot in the straight before finding Mishriff too strong near the line. He has still run very well and we will regroup before deciding any future plans.”
Mishriff hails from his sire's first crop and becomes his first group 1 as well as Classic winner. He is currently the last known foal out of the useful Contradict (GB) (Raven's Pass) who also produced the Listed Prix de Saint-Patrick winner Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and last year's G3 Craven S. and G3 Supreme S. runner-up Momkin (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}). The second dam Acts of Grace (Bahri) took the G3 Princess Royal S. and is one of four stakes winners out of the G1 Prix de Diane heroine and influential producer Rafha (GB) (Kris {GB}). Her leading performer is the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup-winning leading sire Invincible Spirit (Ire), while she is also responsible for another sire of note in Kodiac (GB) and his Listed Empress S.-winning full-sister Massarra (GB), whose progeny is headed by the Classic-placed Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB-G1, €900,000, Chantilly, 7-5, 3yo, c/f, 10 1/2fT, 2:04.01, g/s.
1–MISHRIFF (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Make Believe (GB)
1st Dam: Contradict (GB), by Raven's Pass
2nd Dam: Acts of Grace, by Bahri
3rd Dam: Rafha (GB), by Kris (GB)
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Prince A A Faisal; B-Nawara Stud Company Ltd (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Ioritz Mendizabal. €514,260. Lifetime Record: SW-Eng, 6-3-1-1, €679,493. *1/2 to Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), SW-Fr; and Momkin (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}), MGSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Summit (Fr), 128, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Acola (Fr), by Acatenango (Ger). (€16,000 Ylg '18 AROCT). O-Marc Chan & Mme Lei Li; B-SARL Jedburgh Stud (FR); T-Henri-Alex Pantall. €205,870.
3–Victor Ludorum (GB), 128, c, 3, Shamardal–Antiquities (GB), by Kaldounevees (Fr). O/B-Godolphin; T-Andre Fabre. €102,870.
Margins: 1 3/4, NK, 1. Odds: 7.50, 21.00, 3.00.
Also Ran: Dawn Intello (Fr), Port Guillaume (Fr), Pao Alto (Fr), Order of Australia (Ire), Fantastic Spirit (Fr), Hurricane Dream (Fr), Ocean Atlantique, Gold Trip (Fr), San Fabrizio (Fr), Chachnak (Fr), Ecrivain (Fr), Fort Myers, Pisanello (Ire). Scratched: Celtic Art (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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