7 April 2022
Photo Prix Imprudence 2022: scoopdyga.com
April, Deauville
Prix Imprudence
Group 3, 3-year-old Fillies, 1,400m/7f, €80,000
Created in 1949
Last winner: Malavath (f3, IRE, par Mehmas et Fidaaha, par New Approach), appartenant à Everest Racing, Barbara Keller & David Redvers, élevée par Tally-Ho Stud, entraînée par Francis-Henri Graffard, montée par Christophe Soumillon.
Record time: 1'23''6 by Elusive Wave (2009)
The race would be run in 2023 for the 74th time
The 2022 edition
April 7, 2022, Deauville-Touques Racecourse (Calvados). - The Prix Imprudence (Gr3) gathered again some of the most talented juvenile fillies of 2021 with Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1) winner Zellie (Wootton Bassett) tackling Malavath (Mehmas), a Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte (Gr2) winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Gr1) second at Del Mar in the USA. Six of the eight runners were already black-typed performers and the question remaining was their ability on such heavy ground.
They went on a single file led by Fleur d’Iris (Shamardal), the favourite Zelliea and Accakaba (Acclamation) and they were not travelling very fast. About two out, Malavath was taken out of the line by Christophe Soumillon and went pretty decisively to take over and score by one and a half length, not quite extended. Zellie, on the other hand,k, looked like she was struggling one out and even lost the second position, only to come back to beat Accakaba by half a length for second place.
The sectional timing reveals that the Prix Imprudence was 3 seconds slower than the colts' Djebel at 1’32''25, but the last two furlongs were much faster at 23''60 against 25''17 for Rock Boy.
Malavath is out of a sister to Steip Amach (Vocalised), a Gr2 winner who was also placed in the Prix Rothschild (Gr1) and Jean Romanet (Gr1). She's the first foal out of Fidaaha (New Approach), a mare bred by Jim Bolger. Malavath has got a yearling sister by Cotai Glory and a full 2-year-old brother. Lower on the pedigree, one finds the Aga Khan bloodline of Shergar.
Bred by Tally-Ho Stud, Malavath was sold £29,000 in September 2020 at Goffs UK. Consigned by Star Bloodstock at the Arqana breeze-up held at Doncaster, she was bought for €134,400 by David Redvers and Meridian International (Ghislain Bozo). Tally-Ho Stud had presented her full brother as a yearling two days after her Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte win and Stroud Coleman Bloodstock got him against £ 210,000.
History
This race was named after the remarkable filly, Imprudence, who in 1947 took the laurels in both the One Thousand Guineas, the Oaks and the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, that is the French One Thousand Guineas. In 1949, two years after her historic achievement, the Société Sportive d’Encouragement created the Prix Imprudence to be run over the straight course at Maisons-Laffitte, as a trial for the Guineas or the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. Initially run over 8 furlongs, it was reduced to 7 furlongs in 1961. A similar race was created at the same time for colts, the Prix Djebel.
Seven Prix Imprudence winners have gone on to win the One Thousand Guineas: Bella Paola (1958), Never Too Late (1960), Hula Dancer (1963), Ma Biche (1983), Miesque (1987), Ravinella (1988) and Natagora (2008). Three of these fillies have – just like Imprudence – gone on to greater glory, Bella Paola in winning the Oaks, and Miesque and Ravinella in winning the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. Winner in 2015, Ervedya also won the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Gr1) and then the Coronation Stakes (Gr1), a test also won by the titleholder, Watch Me.
The race was listed until 2009, the year it was promoted to Group 3. It has been run at Evry over 1,300 meters in 1995 and 1996, at Longchamp in 2001, at Deauville in 2018, and again at Deauville now with the closing of the Maisons-Laffitte racecourse at the end of the 2019 season. The race was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Imprudence
A brown bay, born in 1944 by Canot out of Indiscrétion (Hurry On), bred by Pierre Corbière at Nonant-le-Pin. She raced for Mrs Joseph Lieux and was trained by the owner’s husband. She ran 7 times as a two-year-old, winning 4 times and finishing 2nd in the Prix de la Salamandre and 4th in the Prix de la Forêt. She also ran seven times as a three-year-old, winning 4 times: the Prix Ladas, the One Thousand Guineas at Newmarket, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches to beat Montenica (the future Diane winner) and the Oaks at Epsom by an incredible 5 lengths. After losing out by a head to the excellent Djelal in the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville, Imprudence ran out of form in the Prix Vermeille and the l’Arc de Triomphe when she finished well down the field.
Owners (since 1979)
- Niarchos Family (8 wins): Firyal (1980), Or Vision (1986), Miesque (1987), Lightning Fire (1989) & Coup de Génie (1994) for Stavros, Glia (2002), Six Perfections (2003) & Onda Nova (2004) for the Niarchos Family.
- Hamdan Al Maktoum (2 wins): Joanna (2010) & Mashoora (2012).
- Aga Khan (2 wins): Valima (2005) & Ervediya (2015).
Trainers (depuis 1976)
- François Boutin (10 wins): Guichet (1976), Firyal (1980), Play It Safe (1982), Or Vision (1986), Miesque (1987), Lightning Fire (1989), Cydalia (1990), Kenbu (1992), Wixon (1993) et Coup de Génie (1994).
- Criquette Head (10 wins): Ma Biche (1983), L’Orangerie (1984), Vilikaya (1984), Ravinella (1988), Macoumba (1995), Mahalia (1996), Pas de Réponse (1997), Cortona (1998), Stunning (2001) et Magic America (2007).
- Jean-Claude Rouget (5 wins): Maurakalana (2006), Elusive Wave (2009), Joanna (2010), Mashoora (2012) et Ervedya (2015)
- Pascal Bary (3 wins): Glia (2002), Six Perfections (2003) et Natagora (2008).
- André Fabre (3 wins): Blue Cloud (1999), Valima (2005), Via Ravenna (2017).
Riders (depuis 1979)
- Freddy Head (10 wins): Ma Biche (1983), L'Orangerie (1984), Vilikaia (1985), Or Vision (1986), Miesque (1987), Lightning Fire (1989), Kenbu (1992), Macoumba (1995), Mahalia (1996) & Pas de Reponse (1997).
- Christophe Soumillon (7 wins): Valima (2005), Joanna (2010), Mashoora (2012), Ervedya (2015), Watch Me (2019), Reina Madre (2021), Malavath (2022).
- Cash Asmussen (3 wins): Wixon (1993), Coup de Génie (1994) & Peony (2000).
- Christophe Lemaire (3 wins): Natagora (2008), Elusive Wave (2009) & What a Name (2013).