10 September 2023
Photo scoopdyga.com
Sunday, 10th September 2023, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris) – Place du Carrousel (Lope de Vega) continues her ascent back to the top with a decisive win in the €130,000 Qatar Prix Foy (Gr2), covering the 1 mile and 4 furlongs for the first time.
Owned by Al Shaqab Racing and her co-breeder Ballylinch Stud, also bred by Fan and Alexis Adamian, the winner travelled behind the two front-runners, Plesant Jane (Pivotal) and Fenelon (Fastnet Rock). She joined them going into the home straight and kept her momentum to the end, fending off the strong finishing run of the reigning champion, Iresine (Manduro), who hadn't run for 133 days.
The winner of the 2023 German Derby, Sammarco (Camelot), had to be checked on the inside, but he finished strongly to place just half a length behind the leading duo, who were ultimately separated by a neck.
Place du Carrousel is sired by Jockey Club winner Lope de Vega (Shamardal) and is out of Traffic Jam (Duke of Marmalade), of whom she is the first foal. This mare, trained by Nicolas Clément, finished her career with multiple Listed and Group places and a win in the Prix du Conseil de Paris (Gr2). Nicolas Clément currently trains her three-year-old half-sister by Dubawi, Nariman Point, who failed to impress in her debut.
Place du Carrousel was acquired for €260,000 by Mandore International Agency for Al Shaqab Racing at the Arqana yearling sales. More recently, in October 2022 at Tattersalls, Kingman filly was sold for over a million pounds to Shadwell. This coming October, another filly out of Traffic Jam, this time by Sea the Stars, will be presented at the sales, again at Newmarket.
What they said:
Rupert Pritchard-Gordon, the Al Shaqab Racing representative, co-owner of Place du Carrousel (1st) – Chantilly (Oise region)
"The filly showed that she's in good form. She's still fresh because she hasn't run much this year due to a slight setback in the spring. The weather conditions are exceptional today, and Monsieur Fabre preferred to go for the Qatar Prix Foy rather than the Qatar Prix Vermeille, anticipating that there would be less pace in the Foy. When we decided to keep her in training at 4, after her success in the Prix de l'Opéra Longines last year, the idea was to aim her at the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. So if all goes well between now and then, we'll be heading to the race of dreams!"
Jean-Pierre Gauvin (the trainer of Irésine, 2nd) – Saint-Cyr-les-Vignes (Loire region)
"Following the feedback of rider Marie Vélon, I am reassured by Irésine's performance. Irésine was fresh and probably lacked a bit of condition. Fast ground is not his favourite surface. If she had been harder on him and gone all out for the win, Iresine might have beaten Place du Carrousel, but we'll never know. In any case, he made a good comeback. That's reassuring, and now we're going to see how he comes out of the race. If all goes well, we'll have several options open to us. The easiest option would probably be the Prix Royal-Oak, which he won last year. Then there's the Prix du Conseil de Paris, a stepping stone to Asia or the Champions Stakes at Ascot, but I'm a little less keen on the British race."
Peter Schiergen (the trainer of Sammarco, 3rd) – Germany
"He ran well, having got a bit stuck on the inside before running on well. It was a great battle to the finish. We're pleased. We'll think about what's next on the agenda. He's in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which is a possibility, but he's also in the Prix Dollar. We'll mull matters over in due course."