By Tom Frary
Saturday's G3 Prix Penelope at Saint-Cloud looked a deep race for its type so early in the season, but Ballymore Thoroughbred Ltd's TDN Rising Star Pensee Du Jour (Ire) (Camelot {GB}–Painter's Pride {Fr}, by Dansili {GB}) tackled the third quick examination of her fledgling career with a degree of comfort to provide Andre Fabre with a 10th renewal of the 10 1/2-furlong Diane trial. In front from the outset but kept company by Ballydoyle's Library (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the 2-5 favourite began to turn the screw from the top of the straight with Bauyrzhan Murzabayev intent on making it a true test. Soon beyond recall, the relative of Peintre Celebre who was only seen for the first time at Chantilly in February and who had been so dominant in the Listed Prix Rose de Mai here early this month maintained the gallop to the line to score by 2 1/2 lengths from the Andrew Balding-trained Sea Of Roses (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), with Ballydoyle's Be Happy (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) 3/4 of a length away in third. “She is a very nice filly and she has not had too hard a race there–I think she can improve again,” Murzabayev commented of the winner.
She's very good! Pensee Du Jour takes the Group 3 Prix Penelope and remains unbeaten for Bauyrzhan Murzabayev and André Fabre at Saint-Cloud… pic.twitter.com/QTyMdVpESr
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 1, 2023
Anthony Stroud, representing the owners, said, “I think she did it very well–it was a competitive race with runners from England and Ireland in there and she is a very progressive filly. It would be great if something else made the running, but she has this wonderful big stride and action and it's very hard to hold her back. She's a very exciting prospect. Our thoughts were initially to put her away until the Diane after this, but we might have to look at the [G1 Prix] Saint-Alary–it's entirely up to Andre to make that call. The other thing is the jockey said she would easily get a mile and a half as well. I don't think the Oaks is an option, as it's been 100 years of the Wildenstein stable so the Prix de Diane will be the objective–to keep her at home.”
Pedigree Notes
On a big weekend for Camelot, whose seventh TDN Rising Star this filly is, Pensee Du Jour is the last known foal out of the unraced Painter's Pride who is a daughter of the GII Long Island H. winner Peinture Bleue (Alydar) and whose previous best was the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal winner and G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen-placed Canvassed (Ire) (Shamardal). Peinture Bleue is one of the Wildensteins' more accomplished broodmares, providing the aforementioned Arc and Prix du Jockey Club-winning celebrity and sire Peintre Celebre (Nureyev), as well as the G2 Prix de Pomone scorer Peinture Rare (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), the G3 Prix de Barbeville winner Pointilliste (Giant's Causeway) and the listed scorer Peinture Rose (Storm Cat).
Another of Peinture Bleue's Nureyev offerings was Pine Chip, who went on to become the ancestress of the South African champion Jet Dark (SAf) (Trippi), while her other descendants include the G3 JRA Cup winner Desert Icon (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the GIII Fall Highweight H. scorer Hopeful Treasure (Oxbow). The third dam is Petroleuse (Ire), who was successful in the G3 Princess Elizabeth S. and is kin to the champion Pawneese (Ire) who was the last to complete the Penelope-Diane double, and ancestress of the sires Policy Maker (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), Planteur (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}.
Saturday, Saint-Cloud, France
PRIX PENELOPE-G3, €80,000, Saint-Cloud, 4-1, 3yo, f, 10 1/2fT, 2:14.30, sf.
1–PENSEE DU JOUR (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Camelot (GB)
1st Dam: Painter's Pride (Fr), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Peinture Bleue, by Alydar
3rd Dam: Petroleuse (Ire), by Habitat
1ST GROUP WIN. TDN Rising Star. O-Ballymore Thoroughbred, Ltd; B-Dayton Investments, Ltd (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Bauyrzhan Murzabayev. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, €81,000. *1/2 to Canvassed (Ire) (Shamardal), GSW & G1SP-UAE, $424,594. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Sea Of Roses (GB), 126, f, 3, Sea The Moon (Ger)–Plume Rose (GB), by Marchand De Sable.
1ST BLACK-TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK-TYPE. (115,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; 170,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Weldspec Glasgow Limited; B-Overbury Stallions Ltd (GB); T-Andrew Balding. €16,000.
3–Be Happy (Ire), 126, f, 3, Camelot (GB)–Frequential (GB), by Dansili (GB).
1ST BLACK-TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK-TYPE. (340,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-M Tabor, D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Longfield Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €12,000.
Margins: 2HF, 3/4, HF. Odds: 1.40, 19.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Iznik (Fr), Speirling Beag (Ire), Library (Ire), Solaire (Fr), Cite d'Or (Fr). Video, sponsored by TVG.
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