Tag Archive for: Criterium de Saint-Cloud

Lazy Griff given Group One aim

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Lazy Griff has a French return at Group One level on his agenda after a smart victory at Chantilly on Saturday.

The two-year-old, who is trained by Charlie Johnston and owned by Middleham Park Racing, has been building a decent record but his only previous victory came in a minor event at Beverley.

Third in a Deauville Listed race in August, he crossed over to France once more for the Group Three Prix de Conde under Christophe Soumillon.

The bay made all the running in a field of seven and was not for catching, holding off the fast-finishing runner-up to score by a neck when always doing enough to seal the victory.

“We’d had that race in mind for him since he ran well in the Listed race in Deauville,” said Middleham Park’s Mike Prince.

“We knew there’d be improvement for stepping up to nine furlongs.

“He’s very stoutly bred and he’s actually turned out to be more precocious than we thought he was going to be initially, we thought he’d be a nice type for the back end of the season but he started showing up nicely earlier in the year.

“We cracked on with him and it’s all come to fruition nicely.

“He had got slightly outpaced over a mile, he was a bit vulnerable to those with a bit more pace.”

He went on: “We wanted Christophe to make it a test of stamina which is why he kicked on earlier than he might have done to stretch them out a little bit.

“It was cosy at the end, the second horse was closing but Super Soumi had them cooked, it was nice and comfortable.”

The Criterium de Saint-Cloud is now the target, a Group One event run over 10 furlongs in late October that the Johnston stable won in 2022 with Dubai Mile.

Prince added: “The plan is to go to the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud on October 27. He’s been to France twice now and he’s run well both times, he’s quite experienced with the travel so we’ve got no qualms about that.

“The ground might be a bit heavier at that time of year but he is German-bred and it was good to soft when he debuted at Doncaster, so we wouldn’t necessarily worry about running on soft ground.

“He’s a three-year-old type so hopefully there’s more to come next year as well.”



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Los Angeles stars for Ballydoyle in Criterium de Saint-Cloud

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Irish raiders filled the first three places in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, but not in the order the betting market predicted as Aidan O’Brien’s Los Angeles kept on best.

Christophe Soumillon’s mount benefitted from coming up the stands side rail to see off the Joseph O’Brien-trained Islandsinthestream and claim Group One glory over 10 furlongs at odds of 67-10.

The winner’s stablemate Illinois was a close-up third under Ryan Moore after being sent off the 19-10 joint-favourite alongside Islandsinthestream.

“He’s a very big horse and you would imagine he’s going to be a better horse next year,” said O’Brien of the Camelot colt on Sky Sports Racing.

“We felt the experience would do him good here and Christophe said he picked up very well.

“He said he wasn’t changing his legs throughout the race, so that’s why he was a little bit worried, so obviously he’s very babyish. But he said when he did get him to change his legs, he really picked up for him.

“I’d say Joseph’s horse is a good colt and Ryan’s horse has run a stormer as well, so they are obviously good colts.

“I asked Christophe how good could he be and he said he could be a Classic horse, so it’s something to look forward to.

“He said he could get a mile and a half, so that’s good. He’d only had one run before this, so it’s all very promising and good experience.”

Los Angeles was cut from 33-1 to 20-1 for next year’s Derby by Coral and is the same price with Paddy Power for Epsom glory.

“With Ryan Moore opting to ride Illinois, Los Angeles was perhaps not the Ballydoyle winner the market expected to see make the Group One breakthrough, but his neck success was enough to see his Derby odds tumble,” said Coral’s David Stevens.

Village Voice showed plenty of spirit when rallying late on to edge out Manisha in the Group Three Prix De Flore for Jessica Harrington.

The three-year-old was headed at the furlong pole but Cristian Demuro conjured up a renewed effort from his mount, with the stands rail again proving an assistance.

“It was important (having the rail) because the ground is very heavy,” said the jockey of the 13-10 favourite.

“I was supposed to stay behind the lead but the pace was very slow, so I went forward with her. The horse next to me put me under a bit of pressure but she’s a good filly and did it easily. It’s a pleasure to ride this kind of filly.”



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Bracken’s Laugh taking Group One challenge for Hughes at Saint-Cloud

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Bracken’s Laugh could give Richard Hughes plenty to dream about over the winter when he runs in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud on Sunday.

The Zoffany colt made an immediate impression when debuting at Newbury in the Haynes, Hanson & Clark Novice Stakes, moving through the race stylishly before keeping on past some experienced rivals.

He is now both upped in trip and class as he heads to France for a Group One contest his trainer knows plenty about, having won the race as a jockey aboard Sir Henry Cecil’s Passage Of Time.

“He’s a lovely horse and we think a lot of him,” said Hughes.

“It’s a big ask going into such a race on just your second start, but that’s why I ran him in a winner’s race at Newbury.

“He needed to run in a proper race to prove himself and I feel he did that on the day, he made up a two or three lengths on a couple of winners and won well at the line and he proved he goes on the heavy ground.”

Owned by Bernardine and Sean Mulryan, Bracken’s Laugh cost connections 200,000 guineas earlier in the year and Hughes feels he has a horse of huge potential under his care as he prepares to ask a stern question of his exciting young prospect.

He added: “When you spend 200,000 on a horse you hope you are buying a superstar and I stuck my neck on the line for this fella. He’s a huge horse and he did a very good breeze back in May when he shouldn’t have been able.

“He’s got an abundance of pace and he’s bred to stay a minimum of a mile and a half – he’s a three-parts brother to Getaway.

“I feel I have ticked all the boxes other than having only run once, but then Aidan O’Brien’s horses have only run once as well. There’s only seven runners so it’s not a big field and we have a lovely draw and I’m really looking forward to watching this horse run.”

Joseph O’Brien’s Islandsinthestream finished second to Henry Longfellow in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes before scoring at Longchamp last time, while there is an American feel to Aidan O’Brien’s two runners as he saddles both Illinois and Los Angeles.

The former will be ridden for the first time by Ryan Moore, with Seamie Heffernan doing the steering when making a taking debut at the Curragh earlier this month.

Moore told Betfair: “I wasn’t on Illinois when he won at the Curragh on his debut, but everyone seemed very impressed by him. And understandably so. That came over nine furlongs in soft ground, so you’d have to think this test will suit him.

“He is another exciting middle-distance prospect for next season and let’s hope he keeps his unbeaten tag in place, going in over the winter.”

Meanwhile Los Angeles was equally impressive, earning himself quotes for next year’s Classics when a convincing winner at Tipperary first time out.

“He was also dominant when winning over nine furlongs on his debut at Tipperary,” continued Moore.

“This Camelot colt obviously has great potential, and a win for either of ours would not surprise me, for all Islandsinthestream and Shiffrin probably set the standard.”

Nicolas Le Roch’s Shiffrin heads the French assault having won Chantilly’s Prix de Conde last month, while the unbeaten Casapueblo and Christopher Head’s Ramadan will also head to post for a competitive affair.

The Champagne Stakes form will be put to the test once again in the other Group One on the card, the Criterium International, where David Menuisier’s Sunway attempts to go one better than his Doncaster second.

Richard Hannon’s Rosallion has already boosted that race when claiming the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc weekend and now Sunway gets his shot at a top-level prize.

“I think he earned his berth in the race when he ran so well in the Champagne Stakes,” said Menuisier.

“He beat the winner of the Lagardere that day, albeit on different ground conditions obviously.”

Chief among the opposition is Andre Fabre’s Alcantor who has won three of his four starts and is a horse Menuisier already knows plenty about.

As well as accounting for French-based rivals Saganti (Mikel Delzangles) and Havana Cigar (Jean-Claude Rouget) when impressing at Saint-Cloud last time, he also had Menuisier’s Devil’s Point held back in fourth and the British-based Frenchman is respectful of the opposition lying in wait for Sunway.

He added: “It’s the form line of the Prix Thomas Bryon at Saint-Cloud when we finished fourth with Devil’s Point and Andre Fabre’s horse looks really good.

“We respect the opposition but the horse is really well and I’m counting on him for a big run.”

Navy Seal and Portland will represent Ballydoyle, with Patrice Cottier’s Grey Man completing the line-up.



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