5 April 2020
Photos scoopdyga.com
Sunday, April 6, 2019, ParisLongchamp. The two classic prep races that are the Prix La Force (Gr3) and Prix Vanteaux (Gr3) races, Sunday in ParisLongchamp for the reopening, returned respectively to Shaman (Shamardal), a Wertheimer&Frere homebred now en course for the classics, and Platane (Le Havre), also bred by the Wertheimers.
The Prix La Force gathers 3-year-old colts and geldings racing over 9 furlongs. Shaman had already won this term at Saint-Cloud, in the Prix Omnium II (L). After moving early from the outside slot to take the lead, he was able to hold off Rockemperor (Holy Roman Emperor), who had run all Winter and eventually had to oblige, beaten by a neck. First time out this season, Roman Candle (Le Havre) took the third place two lengths down.
Shaman is out of Only Green (Green Desert), a dual Listed winner and Group 3 placed, including in the Prix Imprudence, a French Guineas' prep. She has already foaled five winners out of five trained individuals, including Prix Omnium II (L) winner Green Sweet (Smart Strike), and a 2-year-old filly by Galileo. Shaman's second dam Only Seule (Lyphard), a winner at 2, is the dam of Occupandiste (Kaldoun), winner of the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Gr1) and de la Forêt (Gr1), and the second dam of the French classic winning sire Intello (Galileo). Shaman is entered in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Gr1) and the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1).
Eight fillies lined up in the female version of the La Force, the Prix Vanteaux (Gr3), including Étoile (Siyouni), unbeaten in two outings on turf at Cagnes-sur-Mer. However, she could not contain Platane (Le Havre) this time, even though she gave the winner plenty to do all the way to the wire. Trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias like Shaman, Platane won by a neck, the first two fillies home leaving Lady Te (Tertullian), the first mover going into the final straight, grab the 3rd place at four and a half lengths. Platane had run only once at 2 years old, finishing third at Deauville in October, then she had won for her return on Chantilly's all-weather track, beating two fillies who later won.
Bred by her owners, Platane is the second foal out of Modestie (Nayef), a winner at 3 at Le Lion-d'Angers. Consigned by the Wertheimers at the 2018 Arqana breeding sale, Modestie was sold out of training for € 240,000 to Gérard Larrieu. Her youngest foal was then a 2-year-old filly by Cacique who is in training with Christophe Ferland. The second dam is Gold Round (Caerleon), winner of the Prix Cléopâtre (Gr3), dam of Goldwaki (Dalakhani), winner of the Prix du Lys (Gr3). Gold Round is also a sister to the great mare Goldikova (Anabaa).
Platane is in the Saxon Warrior Coolmore Saint-Alary (Gr1) and the Prix de Diane Longines (Gr1).
And then …
Shaman continued his momentum as he took the second place in The Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas, Gr1) one length behind Persian King. However, he had to settle for fifth place in the St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr1) at Ascot. Second again to his elder Romanised in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (Gr1), eight weeks later on Deauville's straight mile, he finished sixth in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (Gr1) before ending his season with a third place in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (Gr2), more than five lengths behind The Revenant. He’s still in training today. His younger sister by Galileo is now 3 years old and she is training with Christophe Ferland, and a filly by Siyouni born in 2019 is to follow.
Fifth in the Prix La Force, Sottsass went on to win the QIPCO Jockey Club Prize before finishing third in the Arc and becoming the best 3-year-old in Europe!
Platane was rather disappointing since she successively finished tenth in the Saint-Alary, without being able to progress from the rear : ("Stumbled leaving stalls and bumped rival, raced keenly, held up in final trio, pushed along more than 2f out, never involved" according to the Racing Post), then eighth in the French oaks after leading (Etoile took the fourth place that day), and her last appearance in France was a fifth place in the Darley Prix Jean Romanet (Gr1) at Deauville. However, she ended her season with a third place in the E P Taylor Stakes (Gr1) at Woodbine in Canada.
Her sister Humble is now 3 years old and she is still in training, while the Attendu foal was a colt born in February 2019, and bred by Jean-Louis Bouchard.