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€1.5m Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1): Look at Vega flying

2 June 2024

Jockey Club 24 Look de Vega

Photo scoopdyga.com

 

Sunday, June 2, 2024, Chantilly Racecourse (Oise). – Previously unbeaten in two outings, with only one run this year due to a setback, Look de Vega (Lope de Vega) dominated a particularly competitive 184th edition of the €1.5m Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby, Gr1), run over 10.5f. Bred by Haras de la Morsanglière of Joëlle Mestrallet and Écurie des Charmes of Lucien Urano, also his owners in association with trainers Carlos and Yann Lerner and Patrick Madar, the colt won by two lengths over First Look (Lope de Vega), who finished a length ahead of 3rd-placed Sosie (Sea the Stars).

The winner raced in the second tier, trailing the leaders, including the favourite Fast Tracker (Churchill) and Ramadan (Le Havre), who failed to stay the distance. Pulled out at the crucial moment by Ronan Thomas, Look de Vega accelerated sharply to keep finishers First Look, on the outside, and Sosie, on the rail, at bay. The British raider Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit) secured fourth place after struggling to get off the rail, with Mondo Man (Mondialiste) finishing strongly down the centre of the course to take fifth place.

Purchased for €160,000 privately at the Deauville sales by his trainers, Look de Vega debuted with a victory over one mile at Fontainebleau in November, winning by seven lengths. Entered in February for this Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, he returned to competition on May 5 at ParisLongchamp, winning the 1m2f Prix de Croissy by over three lengths. Thus, he remained unbeaten and presented himself here with the inside draw of 3.

His half-brother by Almanzor was sold last October at Deauville to Marc Pimbonnet for €24,000. He is now training with his buyer under the colours of Bernard Giraudon and Jean-Paul Chuzeville.

The dam, Lucelle (High Chaparral), bred by the late Lady O’Reilly, also raced under the colours of Haras de la Morsanglière and was trained by Jean-Claude Rouget. She won at three years old at La Teste, Dax, and Fontainebleau, eventually finishing fifth in the Prix Panacée (L) over 1m4f at Toulouse. She had been sold for €85,000 as a yearling to Meridian International (Ghislain Bozo) at Deauville.

Look de Vega's sire, Lope de Vega, who also sired the second-place finisher, won the Prix du Jockey Club himself, just like Lawman, whose dam is the third dam of Look de Vega and whose sister Latice also won the Prix de Diane over this course.

 

WHAT THEY SAID...

 

Yann Lerner – co-trainer and co-owner of Look de Vega (1st) – Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines)

"I was confident. Everything was perfect. There's something incredible about this horse. Breeders, trainers and owners sometimes take a lifetime to win the Jockey Club, so to win it at 38 is fantastic. This horse has an extraordinary mindset. The only time we had any doubts was at the start, as, given his low draw (three), he had to get off to a good start. That's what he did, and since then, I've never experienced a race in such a tranquil frame of mind! As for the rest of his programme, nothing has yet been decided. Of course, he's in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe! I have no doubts about his ability to stay 2,400m. He's also shown that he can cope with testing ground. And today, we saw the level that he’s at... he has a lot of things going for him!"

 

Carlos Lerner – co-trainer and co-owner of Look de Vega (1st) – Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines)

"It's an extraordinary moment in my life. To come across a horse like this at the end of my career is extraordinary. I've never trained a horse like this. He's a crack. Every time we go to the Arqana Sales (the Sales where Look de Vega was bought), we find a good horse!"

 

Ronan Thomas – the jockey of Look de Vega (1st)

"It's an enormous source of pride to add my name to the roll of honour of this race. I did win the German Derby in the past, but to win a domestic Derby is extremely satisfying. I was never afraid to say how much I thought of the colt, as he ticks all the boxes. I haven't ridden many champions in my career, but he's one of them! He's a colt in full bloom."

 

Joëlle Mestrallet - co-breeder and co-owner of Look de Vega (1st)

"It all goes back to when I fell in love with the colt’s dam at the stud of Madame O'Reilly's - just before she went up for sale. That's how Mr Urano and I bought her. A race like this is terrible when you have to live through it. I was breathless. I've experienced some great victories with show jumpers, but I don't think that I've ever experienced anything as strong (in terms of emotion) as this classic win. I wasn't expecting the colt to win with such ease. I'm bowled over."

 

Alexis Pouchin – the jockey of First Look (2nd) – trained at Chantilly (Oise region)

"He ran reallywell and was cherry ripe for this race. We were beaten by a very good horse. My horse is a very good colt.  However, he's still tender and needs to learn."

 

Pierre-Yves Bureau – racing manager of the Écurie Wertheimer & Frère:  the owners of Sosie (3rd) and Atlast (14th) – trained at Chantilly (Oise region)

"Sosie put in a great performance. It was just his fourth career outing and second of the current season. He should continue to progress. The colt should be able to go longer. The Grand Prix de Paris naturally springs to mind regarding his next race. If all goes well, that could be our next objective. As for Atlast, he was never in the hunt. We don't have any immediate explanations. There must be something wrong. We'll have to get to the bottom of it."

 

Clive Cox – the trainer of Ghostwriter (4th) – trained in Great Britain

«  He ran very well in what seems to be a quality field. We're pleased with his performance, but the ground was perhaps a little softer than ideal. Nevertheless, he put in a great performance. And we're going to take the time to see how he comes out of the race before making any plans for the future. »

 

Pia Brandt – the co-trainer of Mondo Man (5th) – Chantilly (Oise region)

"He's still a tender colt who will continue to progress. He ran very well. He always comes out of the stalls quite slowly, and you mustn't rush him as he needs to stay in his own bubble before finding his feet. His jockey said stepping up to 2,400 metres isn’t a problem. As for the future, he’s entered in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot."