February 2021 maiden winners

RAYSTEVE (g4), (IRE) by Charm Spirit ex Amacali (Danehill Dancer)

€18,000 Prix du Chêne des Grés (4-year-old maiden, 1,600m/1m AWT), February 26, Chantilly

• Owner: Sparkling Star (€9,000 prizemoney / Irish-born, French-bred, 90% provision on 45% Owner's Premium:  = €12,645)
• Trainer: Elias Mikhalides
• Breeders: Écurie du Haras du Cadran & Martina Stadelmann (Irish-born, French-bred, French sire, 13% Breeders' Premium: €1,643) 
• Rider: Pierre Bazire

Twice 5th with a 68lb-rating, the gelded Raysteve (Charm Spirit) opened his account at his 7th attempt after a promising 2nd to Hootton three weeks earlier on this course and distance. He had already led but had taken a bad start on that day, unlike this time, as he led all the race. The favoured Juliusjuliusson (War Front), always along with the leader, looked well in control two out but simply couldn't reach Reaysteve, who won by 3/4 of a length. The 5rd-placed Aiguiere d'Argent (Excelebration) finished at 2.5 lengths, leading the field home. The winner claimed a 3lbs allowance thanks to his female-jockey, Clémence Le Gland.

Raysteve was withdrawn form the Deauville sales as a yearling. His Dabirsim sister, however, was sold for € 20,000 in October. Raysteve's 2nd dam, Ashaninka (Woodman), was secured at Keeneland in 2001 by Eric Puerari for $220,000, in foal to Gilded Time, for the late Jean-Luc Lagardère. She became the dam of Ashalanda (Linamix), a Prix de Malleret (Gr2) and Pride Stakes (Gr2) winner for the Aga Khan. Her sister Amacali (Danehill Dancer), Raysteve's dam, was sold by the Aga Khan at Deauville for €22,000 to Crispin de Moubray for Gestüt Fahrhof, who couldn't sell her the following year. Yet Amacali, bred by Gaëtan Gilles and Monique Vansebrouck, was consigned by Haras de Grandcamp and sold for €77,000 to Carlos Lerner, who trained her for Martina Stadelmann, four years later in 2012.

WILKIE (g3), GB by New Approach ex Victorian Beauty (Rahy)

€25,000 Prix du Four à Tuile (Maiden 3-year-old colts and geldings, 1,900m/9.5f AWT), February 25, Chantilly

• Owner: Godolphin (€12,500 prizemoney - UK-bred, no owner's premium)
• Trainer: André Fabre
• Breeder: Godolphin (UK-bred, no breeder's premium)
• Rider: Augustin Madamet

5th for his debut at Longchamp in October, then 3rd at Chantilly 9 days before this 3rd attempt, the gelded Wilkie (New Approach), trained by André Fabre and homebred in Britain by Godolphin, fought all the way to keep a neck over Le Nomade (Mastercraftsman), both finishing 5 lengths ahead of another gelding, Deal is Done (Masterstroke). The 1st and 3rd-placed benefited from their apprentice riders allowance.

On a 9.5 furlong all-weather trip in February, stoutness is the key!

The dam is an unraced full sister to the mighty Fantastic Light, named Victorian Beauty (Rahy). She was sold in foal to Too Darn Hot for £ 28,000 at Tattersalls.

Wilkie's brother, Victoriano (Teofilo), won at Redcar and Bath.

OUR FIRST LADY (f3), IRE by Fast Company ex Park Twilight (Bertolini)

€25,000 Prix de la Grande Glacière (Maiden 3-year-old Fillies, 1,900m/9.5f AWT), February 25, Chantilly

• Owner: Valentin Devillars  (€12,500 prizemoney - Ireland-bred, no owner's premium)
• Trainer: Valentin Devillars
• Breeder: Gerard Phelan (Ireland-bred, no breeder's premium)
• Rider: Jérôme Claudic

Claimed for € 16,150 at Lyon La Soie on the all-weather after a 3rd place over 9f in November, Our First Lady (Fast Company) was racing for 9th time in this 13-strong maiden fillies' race. she was fitted with blinkers for the 1st time after a few races with cheekpieces only, including a 2nd place on this very course and distance in December.

Placed 5th  after a good start this time, she took over less than 2 furlongs out on a brutal acceleration and stayed on, even though the task seemed overwhelming in the last stages (12’’4 over the last furlong, 11’’9 over the previous one). 2nd at less than a length, however, Rue Pavée (Morandi) went from 7th to 2nd in the last two furlongs.

Our First Lady was paid €2,800 € as a weanling at the Goffs sale. Her brother was paid £ 55,000 as a yearling and is now in Hong Kong, where he failed three times for the time being.

SCÉNARISTE (f4), FRA by Zanzibari ex Séance (Manduro)

€18,000  Prix de la Route des Princes (Maiden 4-year-olds, 2,700m/13.5f AWT), February 22, Chantilly

• Owner: ML Bloodstock (€9,000 prizemoney + French-bred, 90% provision on 45% Owner's Premium:  = €12,645)
• Trainer: Erwan Grall
• Breeder: ML Bloodstock (French-bred, French sire, 13% Breeders' Premium: €1,643) 
• Rider: Maryline Eon

Twice pulled up over jumps this Winter at Pau, Scénariste (Zanzibari) opens her account in this extended maiden over the all-weather. Held last along with Dare (Bated Breath), she overtook the whole field early in the straight and had to bear the challenge of Dare, who never let go and actually came back again at the post to fail by a mere head.

Homebred by ML Bloodstock, Scénariste is the 3rd foal out of Séance (Manduro), a maiden mare bred by Georg von Ullmann who also gave Cinéphile (Muhtathir), a winner on this very track on February 9th in a handicap with a 58lbs rating.

Their Reliable Man brother was sold € 8,000 to Yannick Fouin at the Arqana October sale. This is the family of the great Stacelita. Séance also gave a Dschingis Secret colt born in 2020.

NUBIA (f3), USA by Palace Malice ex Zifena (Zamindar)

€25,000  Prix de la Haute Pommeraye (Maiden 3-year-old Fillies, 1,600m/1m AWT), February 19, Chantilly

• Owner: Mrs André Fabre (€12,500 prizemoney - US-bred, no owner's premium)
• Trainer: André Fabre
• Breeder: Frederick J. Seitz (US-bred, no breeder's premium)
• Rider: Pierre-Charles Boudot

Tenth for her debut over 6.5 furlongs in a class 2 race, closing by the rail in a promising fashion, Nubia (Palace Music) then finished last in an awkward race, where she seemed to be bothered by a wandering rival early in the straight. This time, however, over a 1.5 furlong-longer trip, she was the favourite and produced a long sustained effort to score by 1.5 length over  Rochelaise (Dunkerque), a filly already rated 69lbs.

Nubia cost $50,000 at Keeneland where she was secured by French bloodstock agent Hubert Guy. Her Runhappy sister was sold d’être $10 000 at the Fasig-Tipton yearling sales lately.

Nubia is entered in the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1,000 Guineas, Gr1), the Saxon Warrior Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (Gr1) and the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks, Gr1).

OBSTINÉE (f3), FRA by Myboycharlie ex Rime À Rien (Amadeus Wolf)

€25,000  Prix du Château de la Reine Blanche (Unraced 3-year-olds, 1,900m/9.5f AWT), vendredi 19 février 2021 à Chantilly

• Owners: Jean-Claude Seroul & Haras de Montaigu (€12,500 prizemoney + French-bred, 90% provision on 60% Owner's Premium: €6,750 = €19,250)
• Trainer: Frédéric Rossi
• Breeder: Haras de Montaigu (French-bred, French sire, 13% Breeders' Premium: €2,502) 
• Rider: Pierre-Charles Boudot

Always well spotted, Obstinée (Myboycharlie) took over the front-running Italia (Shalaa) one out and kept herself well out of reach of the 2nd-placed Cloud Man (Dariyan), who was never able to build any real challenge here and finished 1.5 lengths behind the winner. 3rd-placed Baha Mar (Siyouni) finished well, betaing Italia.

The winner's dam Rime à Rien (Amadeus Wolf) won her first race at Tarbes in October at 2 after finishing 2nd second time out in the Prix de la Vallée d’Auge (L). Bred and raced by  Chryss O’Reilly's Skymarc Farmshe was sold at Tattersalls for £27,000 in foal to Nathaniel after giving two foals, including her best to date, Soffia (Kyllachy), winner of 7 races including the Sapphire Stakes (Gr2) over 5 furlongs, between 2018 and 2019. Aliette Forien's haras de Montaigu had bought the mare.

Obstinée was sold for € 170,000 at the Osarus 2019 sale as her older sister was adding black type to her pedigree. A Dabirsim filly consigned the following year was unsold at Arqana et €20,000 Now 2, she's in training with Mathieu Brasme. There is also a Olympic Glory filly coming up.

PERSEVERANTS (c3), FRA by Zoffany ex Perle Rare (Distorted Humor)

€25,000 Prix du Pic Hardi (Maiden 3-year-old colts & geldings, 1,600m/1m AWT), February 19, Chantilly

• Owners: Cofinvest, Haras d’Étreham & Meridian International (€12,500 prizemoney + French-bred, 90% provision on 60% Owner's Premium: €6,750 = €19,250)
• Trainer: Christophe Ferland
• Breeders: Haras d’Étreham, Cofinvest & Yacatec SARL. (French-bred, French sire, 8.5% Breeders' Premium: €1,636) 
• Rider: Stéphane Pasquier

Easy win of Perseverants (Zoffany), who simply pondered until the homestretch and then took off to win by 5 lengths over Spargi Island (Footstepsinthesand), who's already made a name of himself. As for Perseverants, he had started in December at Deauville with a 4th place in a good lot: that day's winner Fort Payne has since finished 2nd in the Prix de la Californie (L). It is also at Cagnes that Perseverants ran a second time, only to finish 2nd, 2 lengths behind the good Vizeli.

Consigned in October 2019 at Arqana, Perseverants was unsold at €3,000, while his Siyouni sister had been purchased €240,000 a year earlier… Their dam Perle Rare (Distorted Humor), winner for her debuts in July at 3 over 1m3f, was bred by the Wildensteins. She's out of a sister to Peintre Célèbre (Nureyev), Peinture Rare (Sadler’s Wells), also a Prix de Pomone (Gr2) winner.

Perseverants is the 2nd and the last to date foal out of Perle Rare.

SACRED BELIEF (f4), GER by Muhaarar ex Solola (Black Sam Bellamy)

€18,000 Prix du Marais du Lys (Maiden 4-year-olds, 2,100m/10.5f AWT), February 13, Chantilly

• Owner: Maurice Lagasse (Prizemoney: €9,000 - German-bred, no owners' premiums)
• Trainer: Yan. Barberot
• Breeder: Gestüt Fahrhof (German-bred, no breeders' premiums)
• Rider: Clément Guitraud

Sold for £ 90,000 as a yearling in England, Sacred Belief (Muhaarar) ran seven times there from June to October, at 3, without being able to do better than third. Bought £ 20,000 at the Tattersalls horse in training sales shortly thereafter, she finally found her way to the post for her sixth French trial, in an extended 10f maiden over the all-weather. She should soon repay herself. Not to mention that she has a real value as a broodmare, since her dam, winner herself, also gave a Group 3 winner across the Channel, while being a sister to two Group 1 winners including the globetrotter Silvano, who made almost 2 million euros in earnings in the early 2000s!

To win here, she travelled in the middle of the field and made her bid in the middle of the stretch, taking over tiring leaders to finally resist Kalani (Wootton Basset), second at a short neck, in a crowded finish.

EVERESTE (f3), FRA by Dabirsim ex Lady of Light (Shamardal)

€25,000 Prix de la Route des Pins (Maiden 3-year-olds, 1,300m/6.5f AWT), February 13, Chantilly

• Owner: Laurent Benoît (€12,500 prizemoney + French-bred, 90% provision on 60% Owner's Premium: €6,750 = €19,250)
• Trainer: André Fabre
• Breeder: Haras de Treli (French-bred, French sire, 13% Breeders' Premium: €2,502) 
• Rider: Pierre-Charles Boudot

Evereste (Dabirsim) was given too much to do in her first two outings over Deauville's all-weather. This time, however, Pierre-Charles Boudot managed to get here close enough to make the trick. Held outside the field, she was able to get closer at midstretch and to gain the upper hand over Rouvray (Wootton Bassett), who had led the chase behind a fading runaway leader and had to settle for second place at a length and a half. Powhatan (The Wow Signal) finished well in third place ahead of Mana Maha (Sageburg), quite keen early on, and Glory of Rome (Sixties Icon), who finished well, coming from a distance.

Evereste was bred at Haras de Treli, in Brittany, by Michel Monfort, like her sire Dabirsim. Consigned as a yearling at the Arqana sales, she was sold for € 26,000 to Laurent Benoît's agency Broadhurst. He is now the sole owner of the filly. After Evereste, her dam Lady of Light (Shamardal) gave an Al Wukair filly sold €30,000 to MAB Agency (Marc-Antoine Berghgracht) at the Deauville sales. She also gave birth to a son of Seahenge last year.

HOOTTON (g4), FRA by Wootton Bassett ex Hot Marmalade (Duke of Marmalade)

€18,000 Prix du Poteau des Vignes (Maiden 4-year-olds, 1,600m/1m AWT), February 4, Chantilly

• Owners: Écurie Normandy Spirit & Écurie Serge Tempniak (€9,000 prizemoney + French-bred, 90% provision on 45% Owner's Premium:  = €12,645)
• Trainer: Fabrice Vermeulen
• Breeder: Yoland Seydoux de Clausonne (French-bred, French sire, 13% Breeders' Premium: €1,643) 
• Rider: Pierre-Charles Boudot

Hooton (Wootton Bassett) was out for the third time. Unplaced for his debut last May at Saint-Cloud, then second, more than seven months later, at the end of December at Deauville, he started here as the favourite. He won very easily, leaving the second Raysteve (Charm Spirit), who took a sluggish start and yet quickly returned to take the lead, more than three lengths behind ...

Hooton was unsold at € 12,000 at the Deauville yearling sales. His yearling sister by Olympic Glory is for sale at the Arqana February sales.

INJERA (f3), USA by California Chrome ex Snooki (Empire Maker)

€25,000 Prix de la Croix Vaillant (Maiden 3-year-old fillies, 1,900m/9.5f AWT), February, Chantilly

• Owner: Marco Bozzi (Prizemoney: €12,500 - US-bred, no owners' premiums)
• Trainer: Gianluca Bietolini
• Breeders: Cesa Farm, Laberinto Farm & Racing Corp. (US-bred, no breeders' premiums)
• Rider: Pierre-Charles Boudot

Two beginners were the favourites here and they obliged as they filled the exacta, beating a filly who'd only run once before. Always well placed in fourth position, Injera (California Chrome), a first runner and winner in France for US sire California Chrome, went by the leaders into the homestretch and took over in the last three hundred yards to win easily. She finished almost a length ahead of Norrey (Le Havre), who finished well by the rail after travelling behind the leaders.

Loire (Gleneagles) finished third, three weeks after her debut.

Withdrawn as a foal from the Keeneland sales, where she was finally sold the following year for $80,000, Injera was also withdrawn at Tattersalls last June… She is a sister to Valdermoro (Declaration of War), who won the Acomb Stakes (Gr3) at 2 in 2019 and then landed in Hong Kong, where he failed twice under the name Perpetuum recently…

GAGARIN’S MOON (c3), FRA by Sea the Moon ex Gagarina (Galileo)

€25,000 Prix du Parc Laversin (Maiden 3-year-old colts and geldings, 1,900m/9.5f AWT), February 4, Chantilly

• Owner: Rashit Shaykhutdinov (€12,500 prizemoney + French-bred, 90% provision on 60% Owner's Premium: €6,750 = €19,250)
• Trainer: Fabrice Chappet
• Breeder: Rashit Shaykhutdinov (French-bred, French sire, 13% Breeders' Premium: €2,502) 
• Rider: Stéphane Pasquier

One of the six beginners in this 11-strong maiden race, Gagarin’s Moon (Sea the Moon) settled midfield and came by in the stretch to took over Mon Vieux Léon (Anodin), who had made progress outside and finally peep Gordian (Triple Threat) on the wire. Only beaten by a head, ran only six days after a good 7th place on this very track over the mile. 3rd at a neck by the rail, Le Nomade (Mastercraftsman) did well for his debut.

Consigned as a yearling at the Deauville sales, the winner was unsold at €90,000 in October 2019. Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, his dam Gagarina (Galileo) had made winning debuts at Clairefontaine at 2 in the Autumn. She'd cost €200,000 at Arqana.

Gagarin’s Moon is her 3rd foal and her 1st winner. she has since given two fillies by De Treville, a young sire based at the haras du Mézeray, winner of two races and several times Group 3-placed in France, who had been bought in Britain by Rashit Shaykhutdinov, Gagarin’s Moon's breeder and owner, for £850,000 at Tattersalls. He's by Oasis Dream out of the champion mare Dar Re Mi.

BELLHARBOUR MUSIC (c3), USA by Mshawish ex Al Khazaalyia (Blame)

€25,000 Prix du Rond du Manège (Unraced 3-year-olds, 1,600m/1m AWT), February 4, Chantilly

• Owner: Thomas Whitehead (Prizemoney: €12,500 - US-bred, no owners' premiums)
• Trainer: A&G Botti
• Breeder: Al Shaqab Racing (US-bred, no breeders' premiums)
• Rider: Cristian Demuro

Bellharbour Music (Mshawish) travelled outside the field and took over the leading group about one out alongside Complication (No Nay Never), who had followed the leaders on a second line. Soon, they were on their own- fighting for victory and Bellharbour Music prevailed pretty cosily to score by half a length while at six lengths concluded a brave Lahaaib (Toronado), in front early alongside the front-runner Darinka (American Devil), finally fifth. 4th-placed République (Kodiac) was unlucky in running by the rail and still managed to regroup and finish well in a short amount of strides.

Bought for $30,000 as a yearling at Keeneland, Bellharbour Music was withdrawn from last July's breeze-ups sales at Goffs. His pedigree page is all-American. The colt himself was bred in America, like his dam, from whom he was the first offspring after she won two US races.