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€650,000 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Gr1): Metropolitan beats the traffic

12 May 2024

Poulains 24 Metropolitan

Photo scoopdyga.com

Sunday, May 12, 2024, ParisLongchamp Racecourse (Paris) – A fierce storm struck the Bois de Boulogne between the two Emirates Poules d’Essai, resulting in slightly softer conditions for the 138th edition of the €650,000 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr1). Thirteen colts lined up, and since no clear leader emerged from the preparatory races, the Irish colt Henry Longfellow (Dubawi) was the reluctant favourite for his seasonal debut. However, he was never in contention. Instead, the English raider Orne (Acclamation) took the lead, flanked by Alcantor (New Bay), despite his draw 13, and outside him, Ramadan (Le Havre), followed along the rail by Metropolitan (Zarak) with Diego Velasquez (Frankel), an Irish entry expected to excel over longer distances, following outside.

Metropolitan wittily used the open stretch in the home straight to sneak inside the leaders. Meanwhile, Alcantor and Ramadan battled to take the lead. Still, they could not hold off Metropolitan, who surged late, and Dancing Gemini (Camelot), another horse expected to stay the distance, rushed late for the 2nd place. Alcantor held on a valiant third, redeeming his puzzling performance at Newmarket in his seasonal debut, with Diego Velasquez coming wide to deny Ramadan fourth place.

As with the fillies' race, the margins were tight: ½ length, short neck, neck, and then ¾, followed by a short head and a short neck.

The race was nearly two seconds slower than the fillies’ race.

Entered in the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1), Metropolitan won both his races at two years old: the Prix de Montaigu in August at Deauville over a mile, followed by a class 2 event over the same distance at Chantilly. He made a pleasing seasonal debut in the Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr3), finishing strongly from the back. Here, he made up several lengths on Ramadan and Beauvatier (Lope de Vega), who was never in contention this time.

Alessandro Marconi purchased Metropolitan for €78,000 at the Deauville sales. A four-year-old brother by Myboycharlie just debuted with a seventh-place finish at Durtal. A two-year-old by Elarqam purchased for €21,000 is in training with Stéphane Cerulis, and a Romanised colt was born last year.

Metropolitan's first two dams did not race, but the second dam has sisters who have succeeded at the highest level and even produced Group 1 performers.

WHAT THEY SAID

Mario Baratti – Trainer of Metropolitan (1st) – Chantilly (Oise)
"In the preparatory race, his performance wasn't as bad as it seemed. That day, we were prepared not to win: it was a true comeback to get him going again. He needed the run after a break and was ridden very conservatively. Reviewing the race and its result, I felt we were on par with the others. Physically, he's splendid, and he's only improving mentally. We drew 1; it was a gift from heaven! As for the future, I'm sure he could stay and go a bit longer, but Pascal Bary told me that when you have a horse performing well at a mile, don't stretch him! So, we're not ruling out Royal Ascot and the St James's Palace Stakes, even though he's not entered. After his comeback, it seemed presumptuous. But I've always believed in him. The Poule d’Essai has been his target since last year. I won the 2,000 Guineas in Germany last year… Winning a classic in France has a different flavour! I have a great team and very passionate employees. It's a real groundwork accomplished by everyone."

Alexis Pouchin – Jockey of Metropolitan (1st)
"I was confident before the race. We gave him a gentle comeback, and he repaid us today. He's very easy to ride. He breaks well from the gates, and I was able to position him nicely. Then, I moved into the open stretch. This is my first classic victory; it's a dream!"

Roger Teal – Trainer of Dancing Gemini (2nd) – Great Britain
"It's fantastic but also cruel at the same time. Today, he has made us very proud. On paper, he is born to win a Derby. Today, I think the 2,400 meters at Epsom might suit him. His turn of speed is fantastic. We'll go back home and think about it calmly. The colt had only one poor performance: it was on very soft ground, and he was still growing. He has gained strength and returned to his best form. Finding such horses is difficult. But keeping them is even harder. It's up to us to choose the right races for him."

Édouard de Rothschild – Owner and Breeder of Alcantor (3rd) – Chantilly (Oise)
"We have rediscovered Alcantor! We had the 13 in the starting stalls, and despite that, he had a very good race and was relaxed. It's a great preparation for the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club [which will take place on June 2nd at Chantilly]. We are delighted."

Aidan O’Brien – Trainer of Diego Velazquez (4th) and Henry Longfellow (8th) – Ireland
"My two horses ran well, but the race lacked pace. I'm happy with their performance and we're looking to the future now. The soft ground throughout the spring didn't help. I think Diego Velazquez can at least stay 2,400 meters."

Christopher Head – Trainer of Ramadan (5th) – Chantilly (Oise)
"Ramadan had quite a difficult trip on the outside. We will continue with the planned program for him, which includes the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club. We were here to win, so there's some disappointment. But the situation was quite unusual, with the storm just before the race…"