Barbeville History: The long comeback

Sunay, May 2nd 2021, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris). - When he took the start in this Prix de Barbeville (Gr3), over 15.5 furlongs, the 5-year-old gelding Skazino (Kendargent) was running for the 25th time a first over a trip longer than 2,500 metres. Trained by Cédric Rossi, he hadn't run in a Group race since his defeat in the 2019 Eugène Adam (Gr2), run in July. He also hadn't won since August last year , in a conditions race at Vichy. He simply had nothing to lose trying to make amends on a longer trip, facing only 6 horses. Yet he did much more than redeeming himself. He offered his owner Haras de la Gousserie a whole New World to conquer. The Guy Pariente-bred, €22,000 bargain at Deauville, also unsold for €150,000 at the 2019 Arc sale, destroyed the favourite Sheraz (Sea the Stars), simply unable to keep up with him when he took off 2 out to score by 4.5 lengths.

Skazino is a brother to Skalleti, the elephant in the Ganay room on the same card, as he had beaten Mare Australis in the Harcourt before this new episode.

Maybe it was just a way for Skazino to tell the World that his family should never be overlooked.

History

This race was first staged at Longchamp in 1889 for 5-year-olds and over. In 1905, however, it was opened up to 4-year-olds and their elders. While it has remained an event for the stayers, its distance has undergone numerous modifications ranging from 1m1/2 to its distance today of almost 2 miles since 1997.

Between 1915 and 1919, the Prix de Barbeville was not contested due to the war. For the same reason, it was transferred to Auteuil in 1943, Maisons-Laffitte in 1944 and Tremblay in 1945. More recently, it was switched to Maisons-Laffitte in 1992, to Saint-Cloud in 1963, 1991, 1993 and 1994, and Chantilly in 2016 and 2017 while Longchamp was rebuilt.

In 2020, the race was run in May at Deauville over 1m7f after the sanitary lock down was lifted.

Barbeville

The event was so named in honour of the Barbeville stud farm founded in the late 19th century by Comte Foy near Bayeux in the renowned breeding region of Bessin. The first resident of Barbeville to distinguish himself was Cambyse, a fine stallion which recorded nine victories in 1887. In the same year, products of Barbeville featured in the first-ever yearling sale at Deauville, including one named Augure, which went on to win the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil in 1891.

As a result of these successes, Barbeville soon established itself as the leading stud farm for the sale of yearlings, a reputation confirmed by the triumphs of Courlis (second in the Grand Prix de Paris 1892), Callistrate (Prix du Conseil Municipal 1893), Kerym (Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil 1899), Codoman (Prix du Conseil Municipal 1900) and Chouberski, winner of the only race he ever contested and father of the great stallion Brûleur. After the First World War, Barbeville again took the plaudits courtesy of its pupil Astéroïde, winner of the Grand Prix de Deauville in 1926.

After the death of Comte Foy at eighty-two years of age in 1927, the Barbeville stud was home for a few years to the breeding operation of Doctor Beauvois. Several of his great jumpers were born there, including La Frégate, victor in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris in 1931.

Comte Foy was a member of the Société d’Encouragement’s committee in 1896, before resigning in March 1909, considering it "a duty to give way to fresh faces who will be able to make a more useful contribution to the body". He had previously been behind the creation of races at Compiègne and had two sons with a keen interest in racing: Comte Max Foy, owner of Le Samaritain (Grand Prix de Deauville and father of Roi Hérode); and Baron Henri Foy, chairman of the Société d’Encouragement’s committee from 1951 to 1954 (see Prix Foy, Group II).

Owners

• Rothschild family (8 wins): Macfarlane (1922), Taxodium (1932), Le Chari (1938) pour Édouard, Céladon (1964), White Label (1965), Alyscamps (1966), Arlequino (1972), Filandre (1973) pour Guy.
• Casaque Wildenstein (4 wins): Buckskin (1977) pour Daniel, Westerner (2004, 2005), Pointilliste (2009) pour l'écurie Wildenstein.
• Khalid Abdullah (4 wins): Commendable (1992), Host Nation (2007), Coastal Path (2008), Last Train (2013).
• Marquis de Ganay (3 wins): Kerym (1898), Passaro (1903), Chamoerops (1910).
• Mohammed Al Maktoum (3 wins): Mardonius (1991), Magna Graecia (2001), Morozov (2003).

Entraîneurs

• André Fabre (8 wins): Top Sunrise (1989), Mardonius (1991), Amilynx (2000), Morozov (2003), Host Nation (2007), Coastal Path (2008), Last Train (2013), Montclair (2014).
• Geoffroy Watson (6 wins): Céladon (1964), White Label (1965), Alyscamps (1966), Ramsin (1971), Arlequino (1972), Filandre (1973).
• Elie Lellouche (4 wins): Westerner (2004, 2005), Pointilliste (2009), Blek (2010).
• Eugene Leigh (3 wins): Abydos (1904), Parfait (1905), Ixia (1907).
• Richard Carver senior (3 wins): Lament (1939), Coast Guard (1951), Satinette (1952).
• Jean Laumain (3 wins): Sari (1953), Seriphos (1954), Flying Flag (1957).

Jockeys

• Yves Saint-Martin (5 wins): Récupéré (1974), Buckskin (1977), El Badr (1979), Denel (1983), Silver Green (1985).
• Jean Deforge (4 wins): Hope or Joke (1959), Toukaram (1961), Céladon (1964), White Label (1965).
• Cash Asmussen (4 wins): Denel (1986), Farid (1987), Top Sunrise (1989), Glacial Storm (1990).
• Olivier Peslier (4 wins): Amilynx (2000), Westerner (2005), Alex My Boy (2015), Call the Wind (2020).
• James Kearney (3 wins): Fitz Roya (1893), Vigoureux (1897), Kerym (1898).
• Maurice Philipperon (3 wins): Waylay (1967), Ramsin (1971), Shafaraz (1978).
• Maxime Guyon (3 wins): Last Train (2013), Fly With Me (2016), Funny Kid (2018).