By Tom Frary
Favoured at 9-10 for Tuesday's informative Prix Kizil Kourgan at Saint-Cloud, the Wertheimers' TDN Rising Star Algolia (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) read the script perfectly to double her career tally and add another string to Andre Fabre's Classic bow. Despite being only a conditions event, the mile contest featured another TDN Rising Star in Ecurie des Monceaux's Snowpark (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}), the half-sister to the Arc and Prix du Jockey Club-winning luminary Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and the champion Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) from the Jean-Claude Rouget stable, and all eyes were on how they would shape up with Algolia with recent race experience having won by five lengths on Chantilly's Polytrack three weeks previously.
Settled in fourth early by Maxime Guyon with Snowpark just ahead, the homebred daughter of the G1 Grande Premio Diana heroine and GI Flower Bowl S.-placed Viva Rafaela (Brz) (Know Heights {Ire}) moved ominously into contention two out and soon had total control. At the line, the chestnut was two lengths ahead of the impressive course winner Prija (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}), with another 1 1/4 lengths back to Snowpark in third. Algolia, who holds an entry in the G1 Prix de Diane, is a granddaughter of the G1 Grande Premio Marciano de Aguiar Moreira heroine Linda Rafaela (Brz) (Bin Ajwaad {Ire}) and a half-sister to last year's Listed Prix Charles Laffitte scorer Babala (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) also related to the GII Edgewood S. winner New Year's Eve (Kitten's Joy).
3rd-Saint-Cloud, €28,000, Cond, 3-28, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:46.56, vs.
ALGOLIA (IRE) (f, 3, Lope De Vega {Ire}–Viva Rafaela {Brz} {G1SW-Brz, GISP-US, $246,353}, by Know Heights {Ire}) Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, €27,500. Video, sponsored by TVG.
O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (IRE); T-Andre Fabre.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
