14 July 2023
July 14, 2023, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris). – Feed the Flame (Kingman) made an impressive start to his career, winning the Prix Juigné and the Prix de Ferrières. He was then supplemented for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1, French Derby), but he had to settle for fourth place on a distance and a course that may not have suited him.
He was still the favourite for the €600,000 Grand Prix de Paris (Gr1), six weeks later, over 1m4f and the course of his first two wins.
He started slowly and travelled in last position of an eight-horse field led by Winter Pudding (Seahenge) and Silawi (Dubawi). Peking Opera (Galileo) attacked first, with First Minister (Galileo) in his wake. At the same time, the Epsom Oaks winner, Soul Sister (Frankel), was also well-placed behind the leaders with Adelaide River (Australia).
The latter took the lead in the straight, breaking away from Winter Pudding and quickly opening up a gap, while Soul Sister and Feed the Flame began to make way from behind. They took a little time to reach their momentum, but Feed the Flame surged past the leader to win by a length, with Soul Sister staying on to finish third a neck behind Adelaide River. First Minister finished over three lengths back.
Feed the Flame was bought for €270,000 at the Arqana sales by Gérard Larrieu for Jean-Louis Bouchard. He is a half-brother to Sacred Life (Siyouni), who won the Prix Thomas Bryon (Gr3) for the same connections. Late last year at the Arqana breeding sales, Savoureuse (Siyouni), their three-year-old sister, winner of a race at Lyon-La Soie, was sold for €210,000 straight out of training to McKeever Bloodstock.
A Dubawi colt was born last year.
What they said...
Pascal Bary (the trainer of Feed the Flame, 1st) – trained at Chantilly
"He was remarkable today. The Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club came a little soon for him. He's a very good horse, and 2,400 metres is his true distance. He's very calm and always takes a little time to find his feet. However, when he does so, look at the way he accelerated! We've been patient with him: he didn't run at two, and Jean-Louis Bouchard has been rewarded. He'll run in the Qatar Prix Niel before heading to the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe."
Jean-Louis Bouchard (the owner of Feed the Flame, 1st)
"Christophe Soumillon said after his second outing that he was probably more of a 2,400-metre colt rather than a Qatar Prix du Jockey-Club colt, and so an Arc type. It's really great! In the home straight, I heard people starting to shout and I said to myself that things had got off to a good start (laughing). I wish to thank the whole team which takes care of this horse. We've been working together with Pascal Bary for a long time. With my trainers, it's very much a team effort, and I'm also thinking of Stéphane Wattel because if I now own Feed the Flame, it's thanks to him, as he trained the colt’s brother Sacred Life for me, who should have won his Gr1 race. That I bought Feed the Flame is down to him."
Cristian Demuro (the jockey of Feed the Flame, 1st)
"He picked up in two strides when I asked him to quicken. He went very fast!"
Ryan Moore (jockey of Adelaide River, 2nd)
"He has run a very good race, I’m happy with him, and he’s improving."
Thady Gosden (Co-trainer of Soul Sister, 3rd)
"She has run a very good race. They went quickly to get their positions, and then they steadied it up. They went a pretty sedate gallop round, and she quickened up well. The winner is an exceptional colt, he quickened up past the whole field from arguably the worst position in the race. He looked like a proper, proper horse. But we’re very pleased with how she ran. There’s options back against the fillies now, we’ll see how she comes out of the race and probably go back that way."