By Tom Frary
He was the underestimated one in the line-up for Sunday's G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, but everything was in place for the front-running soft-ground specialist Tribalist (GB) (Farhh {GB}–Fair Daughter {GB}, by Nathaniel {Ire}) to deliver a career-best and take the prestigious prize from under the noses of the miling elite. Predictably placed on the lead soon after the start by Mickael Barzalona, the Andre Fabre-trained 5-year-old who had made an artform of winning pattern races in this style was expected to come back eventually but it just never happened.
Expertly guided throughout, the 20-1 shot simply had too much rope turning for home as the 7-10 favourite Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and the two 3-year-old sons of Dubawi (Ire), Henry Longfellow (Ire) and Notable Speech (GB), struggled to cut back the deficit. At the line, Godolphin's stalwart had 1 1/4 lengths to spare over Charyn, with Henry Longfellow another three lengths behind in third and Notable Speech only fifth having appeared not to handle the soft ground. The eighth black-type win of the Car Colston Hall Stud-bred Tribalist, whose previous best efforts had come in the last two runnings of the G2 Prix du Muguet, extends Andre Fabre's record to eight in the race, with Soviet Star having provided his first in 1988 and Persian King (Ire) his most recent four years ago.
“It was a fantastic front-running performance, but it was down to Tribalist not the trainer,” Fabre said, deflecting the attention away from his training prowess. “He is just good. Mickael couldn't do anything else and the others let him go. It is the Prix de la Foret next, for sure, there is no other option. He could then go to the Breeders' Cup Mile.”
Le grand numéro de !
Le représentant de la casaque @godolphin (@mickaelbarzalon / A. Fabre) crée la surprise dans le Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr.1) ce dimanche à @paris_longchamp
Le favori de l'épreuve Charyn se contente de la pic.twitter.com/HXQ1DOK5j4
— Equidia (@equidia) September 8, 2024
Much water has flown under the bridge since Tribalist's third behind Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains here in May 2022, with a sea-change evident on his 4-year-old bow in Saint-Cloud's G3 Prix Edmond Blanc last April. Allowed to bowl along there by Barzalona, he was able to dominate The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) before heading back to the same course and distance to claim his first Muguet from the front, where his classy compatriots Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}) and Erevann (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) as well The Revenant all failed to peg him back.
Those forcing tactics weren't going to wash in the 2023 G1 Hong Kong Mile, but the fact that Fabre sent him there speaks volumes and by the time he had recorded the double-double of the Edmond Blanc-Muguet on France's Fête du Travail this term he had reached full maturity. With Fabre in his usual experimental mood, he was sent over six furlongs for Deauville's G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis in July but proved that sprinting isn't his game before being freshened up and prepared for what was only his third attempt at a European group 1.
This was no easy lead situation, with Tribalist churning out sectionals of 11.77, 11.64, 11.83 and 11.53 to the furlong pole. Charyn was the only runner able to break 11 seconds, with his 10.84 penultimate split reducing the margin but not enough. Godolphin's representative Louise Besnard added, “We've always felt that this horse deserved to win a group 1 and he did it with panache. It was a group 1 that was anything but weak with genuine top horses in and Mickael gave him the perfect ride.”
Roger Varian said of Charyn, “It was a frustrating watch to be honest, but he has run a great race and when you finish second you have to tip your hat to the winner. They spotted the winner six or seven lengths turning for home, which is very hard to do on this ground. Watching the race again, the race developed that way, it wasn't that way in the first furlong and I think it is the wrong thing to jump on the jockey's back.”
“The race stretched out from halfway, but he has come out of the pack and almost closed the winner down,” Varian added. “He has run a tremendous race, I don't think we can be disappointed at all with his performance. Losing a shoe was probably not ideal, but I think on this ground he is probably not even aware he lost a shoe. For me it is not an excuse, it's just frustrating because I think he has run enormous and I think he ran well enough to win the race but didn't quite. It's frustrating, but we congratulate the winner and move on.”
Ascot's Champions Day is next up for the runner-up according to his trainer. “We would love to go to Ascot for the QEII, that has always been his autumn goal and it's six weeks away, so plenty of time,” he said. “As long as he is sound and healthy, there is no reason why he won't go there.”
Pedigree Notes
A relatively cheap 130,000gns purchase at the 2020 Tattersalls October Book 3, Tribalist who becomes the third group 1 winner for his sire is the first foal out of the unraced Fair Daughter. Her dam is Car Colston Hall Stud's foundation mare Wiener Wald (Woodman), who sadly died this summer weeks before this sixth top-level-winning descendant. The others are the G1 Racing Post Trophy hero Crowded House (GB) (Rainbow Quest), the G1 Hong Kong Champions Mile hero Beauty Eternal (Aus) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Brando (GB) by Farhh's sire Pivotal (GB), the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park Stakes scorer Reckless Abandon (GB) (Exchange Rate) and the GI American Oaks and GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup heroine Ticker Tape (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}).
Ticker Tape's daughter Royal Decree (Street Cry {Ire}) is responsible for the GII Sands Point Stakes winner Skims (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and War Front's G2 Vintage Stakes-winning sire War Decree, while Reckless Abandon's half-sister Free Rein (GB) (Dansili {GB}) produced the G3 Sweet Solera Stakes winner West End Girl (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) and the GI Belmont Derby Invitational-placed Mondego (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). From the family of the legendary Storm Cat, Fair Daughter looks to have another surefire black-type performer with her 3-year-old full-sister to Tribalist named Fair Point (GB) having taken Ascot's British EBF Premier Fillies' Handicap 24 hours before his big moment. Her unraced 2-year-old filly by Make Believe (GB) is named Blue Sky (GB).
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DU MOULIN DE LONGCHAMP-G1, €450,000, ParisLongchamp, 9-8, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:38.75, sf.
1–TRIBALIST (GB), 129, h, 5, by Farhh (GB)
1st Dam: Fair Daughter (GB), by Nathaniel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Wiener Wald, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Chapel Of Dreams, by Northern Dancer
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (130,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Godolphin SNC; B-Car Colston Hall Stud (GB); T-Andre Fabre; J-Mickael Barzalona. €257,130. Lifetime Record: 21-9-4-4, €734,885. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Charyn (Ire), 129, c, 4, Dark Angel (Ire)–Futoon (Ire), by Kodiac (GB). (250,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Nurlan Bizakov; B-Grangemore Stud (IRE); T-Roger Varian. €102,870.
3–Henry Longfellow (Ire), 125, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Minding (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). TDN Rising Star. O-M Tabor, D Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €51,435.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3, 3/4. Odds: 20.70, 0.70, 5.20.
Also Ran: Caramelito (Fr), Notable Speech (GB), Kelina (Ire), Ramadan (Fr).
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