Back in 2019 : The best maiden winners in March 2019

RUDIMENTAL (C3), FRA by Mastercraftsman ex Russiana (Red Ransom)

Prix Suave Dancer (Unraced 3yo Colts and geldings, 2,000m), March 30, Saint-Cloud

Owners: Écurie Haras du Cadran, Écurie Patrick Klein, Carlos & Yann Lerner
Trainers: Carlos & Yann Lerner
Breeders: Écurie Haras du Cadran, Jean-Louis Burgat & Écurie Patrick Klein
Rider: Grégory Benoist

Fast ahead alongside favourite and front-runner Le Mont (Le Havre), the sculptural Rudimental (Le Havre) took over early in the straight and held on to fend off a closing Ballet Russe (Camelot) only beaten a neck. Le Mont finished third half a length further down.

Rudimental was paid € 60,000 by the Lerners at Arqana October 2017 yearling sale. More recently, in July, his older brother Esteve (Mastercraftsman) was sold for € 445,000 to agent Gérard Larrieu after a Listed win. He's now exported to Qatar. Russiana (Red Ransom), their dam, was, however, sold for a mere € 16,000 to the Lerners in foal to Dream Ahead. Aged 16, she'ed been placed for her breeders, the Wertheimers. She's out of the good Trumbaka (In the Wings), winner of the Prix de Flore (Gr3) and the Prix Corrida (Gr3). She's had a Harzand colt last year.

And then …  

The colt was unsold at €140,000 at Arqana Arc sale despite winning a Class 1 race and finishing 3rd in the Prix Turenne (L) won by the unbeaten Skyward, exported to Australia for a long-term plan to go for the Melbourne Cup. It is also in Australia that lies the future of Rudimental as he was privately purchased by two Melbourne trainers, Mathew Ellerton and Simon Zahra, who had never bought any horse in the Northern hemisphere before. Rudimental has just come back from a long spell there and finished 3rd in a barrier trial on March 3rd at Cranbourne.

BRAND NEW DAY (F2), (IRE) by Epaulette ex Blue Saphire (Acclamation)

Prix du Début (Unraced 2yo, 900m), March 30, Saint-Cloud

Owner: Theresa Marnane
Trainer: Matthieu Palussière
Breeder: Con Marnane
Rider: Antoine Hamelin

fast ahead in spite of his outside 11 draw, Brand New Day (Epaulette) repelled every challenger, the last and nastier being Kenway (Galiway), who finally held on to get beat by a neck. Trained by Mattieu Palussière at Maisons-Laffitte for Con & Theresa Marnane, her owners and breeders, always performing outstandingly with their 2yos, Brand New Day is out of Blue Saphire (Acclamation), an unraced mare whose sister Minalisa (Oasis Dream) won a Listed event at Naas. It is also the family of July Cup (Gr1) winner Owington (Green Desert).

Brand New Day is a second foal, followed by a Dandy Man filly born in 2018.

And then … 

She was one of the early starters of the juvenile seasons but went through lots of adventures since then. The Con Marnane homebred filly won again next time out in a class 2 race at Chantilly and almost made it three when she just failed despite a 7lbs handicap in another Class 2 at Maisons-Laffitte. Unsold at £150,000 at the Goffs London sale just before an unsuccessful attempt at Royal Ascot, she managed to get a place in a Listed race and to win again in August at Vichy. She made over €112,000, that is €133,000 with the breeder's Premiums owed to his owner-breeder, and she was finally sold for £80,000 in December at Tattersalls.

DAVE (C3), FRA by Wootton Bassett ex Dance Toupie (Dansili)

Prix Cadet Roussel (3yo Maiden Colts and geldings, 1m), March 17, Saint-Cloud

Owner: Mrs Georges Sandor
Trainer: Pia Brandt
Breeder: Mathieu Daguzan-Garros
Rider: Maxime Guyon

Well beaten in November and January on Deauville's all-weather track, Dave (Wootton Bassett) avenged himself here over one mile on turf. He ran behind the leaders and took off in the last furlong to leave the favourite Eagle Hunter (Dansili) at 6 lengths. Trentino (Harbour Watch) finished well in third.

Bred in the Southwest by Mathieu Daguzan-Garros, Dave was sold € 16,000 to his owner Georges Sandor at Arqana October yearling sales. His War Command brother was sold last August at the same venue, also consigned by Haras des Granges, for € 35,000 € to bloodstock agent Hubert Guy. The colt is now 2 and in training with Fabrice Chappet for owners Antoine Gilibert, Benoît Chalmel and Fabrice Chappet. A Dabirsim filly was foaled last year.

Dance Toupie (Dansili), Dave's dam, ran only once. She's out of the good Toupie (Intikhab), a Prix d’Arenberg (Gr2) winner at 2 later 2nd in the French 1,000 Guineas. Exported to Japan, she's already foaled two group winners there…

And then … 

Dave followed seven weeks after this first win with a third place in the Prix de Suresnes (L) won by the future French Derby winner Sottsass, and he then came back over the mile to finish second in the Prix de Pontarmé (L) won by the talented Noor Sahara. Third again in July at Deauville in the Prix de Tourgéville (L), he was beaten in the Shadwell Prix Daphnis (Gr3) by Delaware, finishing second. He then failed twice and was unsold at € 110,000 in the Arc sale.

ATERISK (F3), FRA by No Risk At All ex Aspolina (Trempolino)

Prix Auricula (3yo Beginners, Fillies, 1m7f Hurdle race), March 16, Auteuil

Owners: Mme Francis Montauban & Palmyr Racing
Trainer: Guillaume Macaire
Breeders: Erick Bec de la Motte & François-Marie Cottin
Rider: Bertrand Lestrade

The race ended in a duel between Aterisk (No Risk At All) and J'Halucele (Martaline). The stewards held an inquiry as the former leaned on her rival in the run-in but the result stood. Third-placed Grakownia (Barastraight) finished about twelve lengths behind the first two fillies.

Aterisk is trained by Guillaume Macaire for Francis Montauban and Palmyr Racing. She was bought 20 000 € at Arqana summer sales last July where she was consigned by the Ludovic Picard’s Haras de Cordelles. The filly was bred by Erick Bec de la Motte and François-Marie Cottin. Her dam Aspolina (Trempolino), bred by the Moussac’s Haras de Mézeray, won over hurdles at Auteuil and her bloodline comes from Brazil. She is also a sister of Astonville (Top City), winner of Grand Steeple-Chase d'Enghien (Gr2).

And then … 

Aterisk went on to win three of her next four races, all at Auteuil, to end her season in June with a third place in the Haras d'Etreham Sagan Hurdle (Gr3). Out until the Winter, she went chasing at Pau in January, taking a third place two weeks after a failed first attempt (falling at the last as she had just taken the lead). For her return at Auteuil in the Prix Agitato Chase, she once again finished third very close to Autour de Minuit, more than three lengths behind the good Falstaff. She has already made nearly € 135,000.

AL CUARTO (G3), FRA by Nicaron ex Vie Ta Vie (Villez)

Prix Rush (3yo Beginners, Colts and geldings, 1m7f Hurdle race), March 16, Auteuil

Owners: Marie-Laurence Oget & Palmyr Racing
Trainer: Guillaume Macaire
Breeders: Marie-Laurence Oget & Guillaume Macaire
Rider: James Reveley

The Prix Rush is a 3-year-old beginners' hurdle race recently won by future Group horses like Esmondo, Djagble, Echiquier Royal and Pic d'Orhy. The winner of the 2019 edition Al Cuarto (Nicaron) was far superior in the final stages. He went away in the run-in, leaving favourite Marchand de Venise (Martaline) 15 lengths behind. The latter made € 90,000 at Arqana Autumn sale in 2017, bought by bloodstock agent Frédéric Sauque for the famous trotting trainer, Philippe Allaire. Al Cuarto is owned by Marie-Laurence Oget and Palmyr Racing, who also bred him. This is the last foal out of Vie Ta Vie (Villez), a twice winner on the flat for trainer Éric Libaud and dam of the 11-year-old mare Caraline (Martaline), winner of seven races in France and in Great Britain, where she took another third place at the beginning of the month at Newcastle.

And then … 

Just like his stablemate Aterisk, Al Cuarto returned won again soon after this but he did not manage to succeed at the top level thereafter, while he had been sold to Pierre Pilarski, who succeeded his breeder as part-owner. Al Cuarto failed again for his comeback in the fall before switching to steeple-chases with a fourth place, followed by a very nice second place in the Prix Congress 3yo Chase (Gr2), the top French juvenile chase. Al Cuarto then finished second at Compiègne, and recently for his return in the Duc d'Anjou 4yo Chase (Gr3).

CASTLE LADY (F3), IRE by Shamardal ex Windsor County (Elusive Quality)

Prix du Soissonnais (3yo Unraced Fillies, AW 1m), March 14, Chantilly

Owner: Godolphin
Trainer: Henri-Alex Pantall
Breeder: Godolphin
Rider: Pierre-Charles Boudot

A clean victory for Castle Lady (Shamardal) who left her best rival Red Curry (Denon) 3 1/2 lengths behind after galloping by the front runner all the way.

She's the second foal out of Windsor County (Elusive Quality) after Top Score (Hard Spun), 2nd to Limato in a Listed 6f event at Newmarket.

Castle Lady's 2nd dam Ascutney (Lord at War) gave Raven’s Pass (Elusive Quality), winner of the Breeders’Cup Classic (Gr1) and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr1) for Princess Haya of Jordan…

And then … 

It is one of the great successes of the season 2019. After this first All-weather win, Castle Lady won the Prix de la Grotte (Gr3), a prep race for the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1,000 Guineas, Gr1) which she won by a nose despite her relative inexperience. It is rather unusual to see a filly winning the first classic without a run at 2. Still, again for trainer Alex Pantall, Castle Lady took the 5th place in the Coronation Stakes (Gr1) at Royal Ascot. She was away for nearly four months and came back at Keeneland, Kentucky, to take the second place in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (Gr1) before failing for her last outing in the Breeders’Cup.

FLOP SHOT (C3), (IRE) by New Approach ex Dancequest (Dansili)

Prix Tandem (3yo Maiden Colts and geldings, AW 1m1f), March 12, Chantilly

Owners: Wertheimer & Frère
Trainer: André Fabre
Breeders: Wertheimer & Frère
Rider: Maxime Guyon

Third for his debut in October at Maisons-Laffitte over a short mile, then 2nd at Clairefontaine over the mile three weeks later, Flop Shot (New Approach) finally won over 9 furlongs for his comeback, fighting off the front-running Mandaar (Canyon Creek), beaten a length as a fast-finishing Truco (Sepoy) finished 3rd, beaten a neck.

Homebred by the Wertheimers, Flop Shot is the first foal out of Dancequest (Dansili), who later gave a Camelot colt in training with André Fabre and an Australia colt. Dancequest won once and finished 3rd over 2,100m in the Prix de Liancourt (L) at 3. She's a sister to Balladeuse (Singspiel), winner of the Prix de Royallieu (Gr2), and the dam of Left Hand (Dubawi), winner of the Prix Vermeille (Gr1), also Plumania (Anabaa), winner of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Gr1).

And then … 

Flop Shot confirmed this first success with another one in the Prix de Guiche (Gr3), an key race on the road to the Qipco Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, Gr1). He became a hot horse for the Chantilly classic but his connections targeted the Prix Eugène Adam (Gr2) instead, in July. He could not get rid of two English raiders that day, Headman and Jalmoud, and therefore had to settle for third place. Almost two months later at Deauville, he was again beaten by Headman in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano Haras from Logis Saint-Germain (Gr2), but only by half a length instead of six! He was then exported to the United States and did not race again in 2019.