3 July 2022
Photo scoopdyga.com
July 3, 2022, Saint-Cloud Racecourse (Hauts-de-Seine). – The 114th edition of the €400,000 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Gr1) could very well have been run in Britain or Germany, and Alpinista (Frankel) made the most of the unusual fast pace on the French contest to beat a 35-year-old record in 2'26''15, beating Moon Madness' 2'26''5 in the 1987 Grand Prix! Sir Marl Prescott's charge hadn't had a run for 238 days and yet, the Kirsten Rausing homebred 5-years-old mare won her 6th straight victory, her 4th Gr1 too on a turf rated as Good to soft by French standards.
Steered by Luke Morris, the mlare was still at the rear entering the final turn, along with Bubble Gift (Nathaniel) and Sweet Lady (Lope de Vega) behind a tight field led form the word go by High Definition (Galileo) and Lone Eagle (Gamlielo), shadowed by Baratti (Frankel) -the 1-draw- and the French favourite Mare Australis (Australia). The odds-on favourite was the 2021 Derby 3rd Hurricane Lane (Frankel), also the winner of the Irish Derby and the Grand Prix de Paris. With his 9-draw, he had to make do with his outside position, without cover, and the leaders were going so fast that the Godolphin champ had no option but to pray for a breather.
High Definition ran the first 7 and 8 furlongs in 1’26’’51 and 1’38’’65, which is an Epsom Derby timing, or even a soft Gr1 mile's. It is anyway 2 seconds better than Mare Australis (Australia) in the Grand Prix de Chantilly (Gr2), or Simca Mille in the Prix du Lys Longines (Gr2) two weeks ago on a vast turf at Chantilly. Getting into the final straight, however, Mare Australis still looked as if he had his chance but he simply faded, not in an unusual fashion when things don't go his way. As for Hurricane Lane, he simply vanished without ever giving any hope to his backers. Alpinista, on the other hand, kept going to the wire and ran the last 3 furlongs in less than 35’’, beating a brave Baratti by a good length while Bubble Gift finished well, beaten by a neck for second place. Sweet Lady (Lope de Vega) also finished well 4th at 3 lengths.
Alpinista had already come twice to France at 2 and 3. 4th at 2 in the Prix d’Aumale (Gr3) won by Savarin in 2019, she came back for her seasonal return, again in July, at Vichy when 4th again in the Prix Madame Jean Couturié (L). Second later in the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr1) won by Love, she's now unbeaten since her 2021 return and her Listed win at Goodwood. Since then, she took the Lancashire Oaks (Gr2), the Grosser Preis von Berlin (Gr1), the Grosser Preis von Europa (Gr1) in Cologne, and the the Grosser Preis von Bayern (Gr1) in Münich.
Bred in Great-Britain by Kirsten Rausing, Alpinista is out of Alwilda (Hernando), a Listed-winner in Germany, sister to Algometer (Archipenko), who was placed in a Prix Maurice de Nieuil (Gr2). They are all out of Albanova (Alzao), a triple Group 1 winner in Germany, a full sister to Alborada (Alzao), a Champion Stakes (Gr1) winner.