Prix du Jockey Club

"What is important for a man can only happen in spite of him," writes Marcel Proust in In Search of Lost Time. This cherished quote sprang to mind after contacting Joelle Mestrallet to ask if she would agree to an interview for the TDN in the wake of the awesome victory of Look De Vega (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in the Prix du Jockey Club. Without knowing her well, I was aware of her modesty and the fact that she enjoys keeping a low profile. As much as this...

On the 15th anniversary of the passing of Vincent O'Brien, his successor at Ballydoyle, Aidan O'Brien, extended his record at Epsom to 10 wins in the Derby. Vincent O'Brien's daughter and son-in-law Sue and John Magnier were not at Epsom on Saturday but several of the late, great trainer's grandchildren were in the winner's circle to greet City Of Troy. Their own family is now so strongly enmeshed with the man who shares their grandfather's surname but is no relation to the creator of Ballydoyle. Just like City Of Troy,...

The Prix du Jockey Club winner Ace Impact (Fr) (Cracksman {GB}), who is currently the top-rated three-year-old in Europe, is to continue his racing career for a partnership which consists of his original owner Serge Stempniak and the Chehboub family. Upon his eventual retirement, he will stand at the Chehboub-owned Haras de Beaumont, close to Deauville. Unbeaten in four starts to date, Ace Impact set a new race record in winning his Classic for Stempniak and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. From the first crop of Cracksman, who was one of the...

In setting a new record time in last Sunday's Prix du Jockey Club, Ace Impact (Ire) (Cracksman {GB}) became the first Classic winner for his breeder Waltraut Spanner and the first to be raised at Barbara Moser's Haras du Long Champ.  Moser had previously come close to tasting Jockey Club victory as a breeder herself when Patascoy (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) finished second in the 2018 edition, just half a length off Study Of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). "To win a race, any race, is always special, and this victory...

Trainer Christopher Head and owner-breeder Leopoldo Fernando Pujals have already taken home the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches trophy with Blue Rose Cen (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) and their year could become even more memorable should favourite Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) take another step forward in an impressive season to date. There's a strong homebred feel to the line-up, and only five of the runners have ever appeared at an auction. Four are graduates of the Arqana August Yearling Sale, while Winter Pudding (Fr) will be flying the flag...

Twelve horses stood their ground for Sunday's G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, led by Jaber Abdullah's homebred G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), and there will be one supplementary entry in Feed The Flame (Fr) (Kingman {GB}). The Andreas Schutz-trained Marhaba Ya Sanafi is joined by Yeguada Centurion's Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), who has won a pair of Group 3 contests for Christopher Head this season and is the current market favourite. The unbeaten Feed The Flame is trained by...

It has been a good spell for Christopher Head. On Sunday, his colt Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) became the latest group winner for owner-breeder Yeguada Centurion, followed two days later by a TDN Rising Star award for the trainer's first juvenile runner of the season, Ramatuelle (Justify), who demolished her opposition in the Prix du Premier Pas at Chantilly. This prominent start to the season picks up where Head left off last year: his first Group 1 success came in October's Prix Marcel Boussac with Blue Rose...

Mishriff (Ire), the brilliant Prix du Jockey Club winner and globetrotting star, has met with a minor setback at Montfort et Preaux in France and is unlikely to cover mares until mid-March as a result. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff amassed almost £12 million in career-earnings and is set to stand for €20,000 for his debut season at stud.  A spokesperson for stud said, "Sumbe regrets to announce that our new stallion Mishriff has suffered a minor setback which may delay his stud duties until mid-march 2023. "Although...

What an excellent weekend of European Classics, which featured a sprinkling of some intriguing "what ifs" to flavor what's to come in the months ahead. On Friday, Aidan O'Brien won his 41st British Classic--yes, you read correctly--when Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}--Lillie Langtry {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) short-headed the unlucky John Gosden-trained Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) after an exhilarating face-off in the waning stages of the G1 Cazoo Oaks at Epsom. It was a familiar affair in more ways than one. The fillies are by champion half-brothers,...

It was a pretty quiet racing week here, so this installment of snippets is a little European-centric. We hope you find it interesting. The Mind Boggles... Tuesday's win in the G1 Cazoo Oaks at Epsom gave Aidan O'Brien a record 41st British Classic winner, including 10 wins in the Oaks. Tuesday was also the 94th Group 1 winner for her sire, Galileo and the second Oaks heroine and third Classic winner for her dam, Lillie Langtry (following Minding and Empress Josephine). Coolmore/Ballydoyle's stats never cease to amaze. Pletch Being Pletch......

"Ca va, ca va, ca va," says one rider after another as they report back to trainer Fabrice Chappet on their respective mounts during a routine Monday morning exercise in Chantilly. Then comes Gregory Defrel, the Martinique-born rider of G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). "Tres, tres bien," he says, before gesticulating with the internationally recognised hand signal for 'ok'. That's good enough for the trainer, who remains outwardly impassive as he watches his second lot circle under the trees in the Rond Allez France. Chappet is not...

France Galop and the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club have extended their sponsorship agreement for Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe weekend for a further five years through 2027. The partnership, which has been in place since 2008, now encompasses a weekend including 12 Group 1 races for Thoroughbreds and Purebred Arabians and €10-million in prizemoney. The €5-million G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was on Tuesday named the Longines World's Best Horse Race of 2021; it was its fifth time receiving that honour. The France Galop and QREC...