29 June 2017
photo scoopdyga.com
With the French Guineas, Derby and Oaks behind us, Brametot remains at the top of the French rankings for 3yo and his Abu Dhabi Poule d'Essai des Poulains victory is stille the highest benchmark of the season, while among aged horses, Taareef's victory in the Prix Bertrand du Breuil in a record time despite a 4Lbs penalty allowed him to jump to the top ...
Brametot (Rajsaman) has consolidated his leadership position amongst 3 years-old of 2017 by completing the classic Abu Dhabi Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas-Gr1)/QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby-Gr1) double.
However, he did not improve his rating at Chantilly with a Lbs118 performance, 4 pounds below the mark set over the Deauville mile.
Second in Deauville, Le Brivido (Siyouni) went to Royal Ascot to carry the French banner and he obliged by winning the Jersey Stakes (Gr3), probably one of the hardest Group 3s in the world. But that wasn't enough either to improve the rating he got in Normandy.
The French and English Derbies are run and according to the officials, Epsom leads by a pound -119 vs. 118- over the Prix du Jockey Club, which is ran over a distance of 300 meters shorter.
We have a fine yardstick to assess the respective form of the two races with Orderofthegarter (Galileo). Trained in Ireland by Aidan O'Brien, he finished sixth in the Jockey Club, three lengths behind Brametot, and second to Benbatl (Dubawi) in the Hampton Court Stakes (Gr3) at Ascot. The latter had previously finished fifth in the Epsom Derby at three and a half lengths of the winner Wings of Eagle (Pour Moi).
However, Royal Ascot hadn't taken place when the respective ratings of the horses - presented here - were established and it is only in December, at the Hong Kong Handicappers' Summit, that we can properly compare the merits of all these races.
In the 3-year-old fillies division, Precieuse (Tamayuz, 114Lbs) is rated above Prix de Diane Longines (Gr1) winner Senga (Blame, 51kg), whom she defeated in Deauville, under circumstances certainly unfavorable to Senga, as she showed a completely different face over the French Oaks' 2,100 meters trip.
The most spectacular climb among the 3-year-olds is to be credited to La Sardane (Kingsalsa), winner of the Prix de Sandringham (Gr3) with a rating of 111Lbs, the same as that Sistercharlie (MyBoyCharlie) got by finishing an unlucky 2nd in the Prix de Diane Longines. Of course, we compare distances differing by 500 meters, but there is in both fillies a resolution that is worth lots of pounds, indifferently.
Amongst older horses, Heshem (Footstepsinthesand) remains at the top thanks to his victory in Meydan last Winter, but Taareef (Kitten's Joy) made a A Shin Hikari-like hike in the rankings in the Prix Bertrand du Breuil (Gr3), in the sense that for his return, an event delayed by the severe viral attack which stroke Jean-Claude Rouget's stables, this Gr2 winner had to carry a two kilos penalty but yet crushed the field in record time and beat his stablemate Zelzal (Sea the Stars), a Prix Jean Prat (Gr1) winner by nearly two lengths ...
Thus, our Taareef rose to a ranking of 119Lbs, a pound shy of the UFO named Heshem.
Otherwise, Qemah (Danehill Dancer) is below her best rating in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Gr2) at Royal Ascot at 114, two pounds below her Coronation Stakes (Gr1) win last year at Ascot.
Unlucky third in the same race this year at Ascot, Usherette (Shamardal) is still three kilos down the rating she got when winning this very race last season.
One should take note of the fine performance of Spectre (Siyouni), at 114Lbs now for her 4th place in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr1) behind three boys, a rating she had obtained in 2016 when 2nd in the Moulin de Longchamp (Gr1) ahead of Zelzal and Zarak (Dubawi).
Ranking of 3-year-olds trained in France, June 28
Ranking of 4 years and more trained in France, June 28