Europe
Sajir upsets in the Prix Maurice de Gheest
By Tom Frary
Deauville's G1 ARC Prix Maurice de Gheest was one of the very few French Pattern races to have evaded Andre Fabre until Sunday, but Prince Faisal's Sajir (Make Believe) duly put that right with a command performance. Anchored in last early by Oisin Murphy, the 26-1 shot was always travelling like the best horse and after making his move on the wing tanked to the front a furlong out en route to an authoritative 1.75l success from the 1-2 favourite Lazzat (Territories). Last year's winner was a head in front of the G1 Prix Jean Prat winner Woodshauna (Wooded).
“Sajir was brilliant today–he relaxed great and I had a lot of confidence,” Murphy said. “He won really well and I'm delighted for everyone connected with the horse. Andre had him spot-on and he travelled beautifully for me. I think the horse improved seven pounds on any form he'd shown before and he delivered. Today he switched his leads and powered to the line. The way he bends his knee he feels like a horse that will handle juice.”
Successful in the seven-furlong Listed Prix Saraca and runner-up in this track's G3 Prix de Cabourg (over a furlong shorter at two, Sajir was restricted to four starts last term which included a win in the 5 1/2-furlong G3 Prix Sigy. Continuing to mix his trade between that trip and seven, the homebred was off the mark on his seasonal bow in Chantilly's Prix Anabaa before heading to Newmarket to garner the G3 Abernant Stakes.
Second-best to the seven-furlong specialist Topgear (Wootton Bassett) in Paris Longchamp's G3 Prix du Palais-Royal in May, we will never know what he could have achieved in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee had he not become upset in the stalls and had to be withdrawn but that is history now. What is clear is that we are dealing with a high-class sprinter finally brought to a peak by the maestro of French racing.
Sajir's sensational winning time of 1:15.09 is second only to that of Moonlight Cloud's outstanding 1:14.33 in 2013, with his closing three furlongs of 33.28 red-hot and his penultimate split of 10.77 the fastest from all protagonists.
“This is the first time I've had him 100%, he was in great condition,” commented Fabre, whose sole missing domestic Group One now is the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. “Prince Faisal is a great breeder, a great owner and a great person. Obviously, like his father, the Prix de la Foret will be Sajir's path.”
Prince Faisal's racing manager Ted Voute said, “This is an incredible day! I left Lexington a day early to be here. Sajir is a fantastic horse. He looked absolutely magnificent in the paddock and was very calm despite the crowd and the heat. The whole team has shown great perseverance and today was his day! This is another Group 1 winner for Make Believe–the first was Mishriff, also bred by the Prince. It means a lot to him–he has always had faith in his stallion and supported him.”
“As for his future, this Group 1 win changes everything,” he added. “He will likely retire to stud at the end of the year, but he still has a few months of racing ahead. He handles any ground. He's entered in the Prix de la Foret and also in the Prix de Meautry–we will think it over.”
Jerome Reynier said of Lazzat, “He ran his race. The horse I feared most at Ascot was Sajir, so when I saw he was a non-runner there, I was quite pleased as we didn't have to worry about him. James Doyle felt he couldn't get the horse to relax. We'll check the tracking data, but he felt the horse was doing too much and using too much energy. He had a flat spot–something that rarely happens–but still picked up again to fight and take second.”
“He would be more comfortable on slightly softer ground–today it was still a bit firm,” he added. “Autumn is coming and for him, the target will be the Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot, as we know he likes easier going. It's a shame to lose the crown, but we were beaten fair and square. Sajir is a very good horse and now it's up to him to confirm it. Initially, we were thinking of running the Prix de la Foret and then the Champions Sprint Stakes, but James Doyle feels we shouldn't stretch him too much or he might be even more outpaced than today.”
Francis-Henri Graffard said of Woodshauna, who completed a home-trained one-two-three, “He ran a great race. Unfortunately, he got a bit upset in the stalls and lost some ground. The pace wasn't very strong and he ended up behind Topgear and Rayevka, but Woodshauna produced a terrific turn of foot. He has a lot of speed and Christophe thinks this is as far as he stays. He's a horse to bring back to 1200 metres. It's amazing, he always runs his race. He is entered in the Sprint Cup at Haydock, so that's an option. I'll discuss it with the owner and Christophe, who knows him well now.”
Sajir is out of the G3 Sirenia Stakes-placed Simple Magic (Invincible Spirit), who is also the second dam of Make Believe's recent Listed Glasgow Stakes winner Nahraan who is unbeaten for the Gosdens at present. Simple Magic is a full sister to the Listed Sandringham Handicap winner and G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes-placed Festivale and the Listed Prix de Saint-Patrick winner Arctic Gyr, and a half to the dams of the smart Group performers Grande Dame (Lope De Vega) and Eydon (Olden Times).
The fourth dam is the G2 Prix d'Astarte winner and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Hydro Calido (Nureyev), a half to Mr. Prospector's Prix Morny winners Coup De Genie and Machiavellian and to the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois hero Exit To Nowhere who shares Irish River as a sire with Sajir's third dam Heraklia. Simple Magic's unraced 3-year-old full brother to Sajir is named Saahir, while she also has a 2-year-old colt by Dark Angel named Conspiracist and a filly foal by Earthlight.
Rebel's Romance picks up his eighth Group 1 win
By Tom Frary
Godolphin's beloved stalwart Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) has done wonders for Sheikh Mohammed and Charlie Appleby down the years, but Sunday ensured that he will be forever sacred for Billy Loughnane too as he provided the young jockey with a first Group 1 success.
Sent off the 1-5 favourite for Hoppegarten's Westminster 135th Grosser Preis von Berlin that began his top-level-winning spree three years ago, the 7-year-old was made to fight by Junko (Intello) to bring up an eighth victory in this company but was equal to every call as usual to score by 0.75l.
“It's a feeling I can't describe, it's a feeling of ecstasy, what a horse and I'm very lucky to be riding in these colours and riding a horse like this,” Loughnane said. “He's a superstar and has been going for a good few seasons now. Big thanks go to William Buick–I spoke to him last night and he told me exactly what to do.”
Loughnane, whose tally for Appleby is eight from 12 this season, had also won the Sweet Solera at Newmarket on Saturday. Charlie Appleby said, “It's great for Billy, but more importantly great for the horse who keeps sparkling on all continents. To have him carry on at the top level is fantastic for Sheikh Mohammed and I see this as a pre-cursor for the Canadian International at Woodbine and then the Breeders' Cup.”
The epitome of Dubawi's ability to produce high-class international stars with longevity, Rebel's Romance is one of two top-level winners for the Listed Height of Fashion Stakes runner-up Minidress (Street Cry) alongside the Jebel Hatta scorer Measured Time (Frankel). Minidress, who is a full sister to the G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy winner Volcanic Sky, is out of the G3 Musidora Stakes winner and Oaks third Short Skirt (Diktat), who in turn is a daughter of the excellent producer Much Too Risky (Bustino).
Her four stakes winners are headed by the G2 Prix de Pomone winner Whitewater Affair (Machiavellian), in turn the dam of the triple Group 1-winning Victoire Pisa (Neo Universe) and the Yasuda Kinen hero Asakusa De'nen (Singspiel). Minidress's 2-year-old is a full brother to Rebel's Romance named Fortitudine.
