4 July 2021
Saint-Cloud hosted its major spring-summer race day on Sunday (July 4) with the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, for 4-year-olds and above, and won by Ireland’s Broome. He should ba at the star of the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on 3 October at ParisLongchamp.
Broome wins for Ireland and Japan!
Broome is a five-year-old horse trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien. The horse carries the Japanese colours of Masaaki Matsushima, whose dream is to win the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He co-owns the horse with Coolmore, an Irish partnership that comprises John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. Masaaki Matsushima has had horses trained in Europe since the autumn of 2018 and, success in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, enabled him to savour his first Group 1 win. He bought his first English thoroughbred in Japan in 2013, and his first starter graced the racecourse in 2015. Broome is clearly back to his best this season, having had a somewhat difficult time of it in 2020.
Yasufumi Sawada, who manages Masaaki Matsushima's racing interests, said: "This is Mr Matsushima's first group 1 win. I just spoke to him on the phone and he is very happy! Broome will now be aimed at the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe." Masaaki Matsushima made his fortune in the world of luxury cars. He’s a great friend of jockey Yutaka Take, a jockey who enjoys iconic status in Japan, and it was via this intermediary that the owner started investing in racehorses. Yutaka Take explained in 2019: "Masaaki Matsushima has always loved horse racing. He used to bet a lot... and lost a lot of money! That's why I told him to buy a racehorse rather than lose money by betting. However, it's not easy being an owner either. As he still loses money and the losses are ultimately greater! The victory of Géniale in the Prix Messidor (Group 3, 31 October 2018) was his first win at the group level. He was really over the moon. It was the greatest moment of his life... after his wedding!"