THIS weekend sees the Derby at Epsom being contested, and the race remains, for some, the most important classic contest of the year. It is certainly one that bestows prestige on the winner, but it has been overtaken in terms of significance by the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club, its French equivalent, when it comes to importance from a breeding perspective.

Before this year’s renewal, the last nine winners of the Prix du Jockey Club have been Brametot (Group 1 sire), Study Of Man (Group 1 sire), Sottsass (group sire), Mishriff (at stud in France), St Mark’s Basilica (Group 1 sire), Vadeni (at stud in France), Ace Impact (at stud in France), Look De Vega (standing at Ballylinch Stud for €20,000) and Camille Pissarro (covering at Coolmore for €30,000).

The Coolmore team believe implicitly in the Epsom feature, and in more recent years have restored much of its status with wins for Auguste Rodin, City Of Troy and last year with Lambourn. In the same period covered above, the English classic has also been annexed by Wings Of Eagles, Masar, Anthony Van Dyck, Serpentine, Adayar and Desert Crown.

This year’s Prix du Jockey Club was yet another masterclass by Aidan O’Brien, and time will tell how good the latest renewal will prove to be. Just over six lengths covered the first dozen finishers, and it could be that many of the unplaced runners will go on to do well in future. What cannot be denied is that the winner. Constitution River, is a top-class colt, winning the race as he did from an almost impossible draw.

Wootton Bassett

Constitution River, and the runner-up Hawk Mountain, are both sons of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj), and their racing careers will be carefully planned with a future career at stud in mind. They, and many others no doubt, will be seen as heirs apparent to their sire who was a near-champion at two but was not the same horse at three. His unbeaten record as a juvenile culminated with victory in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere from Tin Man, and with Moonlight Cloud fourth.

At stud, and from a start that saw him stand his first five seasons at a fee of €6,000 or less, Wootton Bassett compiled an outstanding record. His twelfth crop are this year’s two-year-olds, and already he has sired 21 Group or Grade 1 winners, just short of an average of two per crop. Great store has been placed on his sons and daughters, and the hope that they will reenforce Coolmore’s belief in his ability to establish a successful sire line.

After the Chantilly race, M.V. Magnier, who paid €400,000 for Constitution River as a yearling, said: “I want to offer my warmest congratulations to Pierre Talvard [Haras du Cadran where the winner was bred and sold from]. He has supported us for many years and is a good friend. Congratulations as well to his team and everyone at Arqana. It’s wonderful to be able to come to France and buy horses like this at Arqana.”

Gérard Laboureau

LG Bloodstock is listed as the breeder of Constitution River, and this is the trading entity of Gérard Laboureau. He was on hand to see the colt gain his biggest win, as was Pierre Talvard who opined that Wootton Bassett was an even better sire than Galileo! This was a second Prix du Jockey Club victory for Talvard, after The Grey Gatsby whom he sold on behalf of breeder Malcolm Parrish.

Constitution River is the first foal out of Chuppy, a daughter of Le Havre (Noverre) who is also the broodmare sire of Pyledriver. Chuppy made two starts at three for Laboureau, finishing fifth each time, and with two different trainers. An €80,000 yearling buy, she failed to sell in 2024 when bidding halted at €320,000. In between those sale appearances, her full-sister Wonderful Tonight (Le Havre) won a pair of Group 1 races, the British Champions Fillies/Mares Stakes and Prix de Royallieu, and the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Chuppy’s second produce is a two-year-old filly Sensational Filly (Mehmas) with Paddy Twomey, and cost the trainer €300,000 last year at Deauville. Chuppy’s yearling filly is by Kodiac (Danehill).

A blue-blooded pair of beaten horses

CAN I remind you who the six Group or Grade 1-winning juveniles were that Aidan O’Brien saddled in 2025? They were a quartet of colts, Hawk Mountain and Puerto Rico, both sons of Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj), today’s Derby hope Pierre Bonnard (Camelot) and Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), as well as the fillies Diamond Necklace (St Mark’s Basilica) and True Love (No Nay Never).

Both fillies are classic winners, as is Gstaad, Puerto Rico was a length and a half off the winner of the French 2000 Guineas, while Hawk Mountain was denied a French Derby win by less than a length, part of an Aidan O’Brien 1-2-3 in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club. Last October Hawk Mountain was the trainer’s twelfth winner of the Group 1 Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, and his first since Auguste Rodin in 2022. Subsequent classic winners for Ballydoyle to land the Futurity include Magna Grecia, Saxon Warrior, Camelot and High Chaparral.

Hawk Mountain is the fourth foal and third winner for the outstanding racemare Hydrangea (Galileo), and all three are stakes winners. The mare’s first produce, a colt by Deep Impact (Sunday Silence), was not named, her fifth is Oklahoma (Wootton Bassett), a juvenile full-brother to Hawk Mountain, and her latest is a yearling colt by Justify (Scat Daddy).

Hydrangea’s only daughter, Wingspan (Dubawi), was two lengths behind Kalpana in the Group 1 British Champions Fillies/Mares Stakes at Ascot, having won a listed race at Gowran Park. Her second named foal, the four-year-old colt Officer (Dubawi), won his sole start at two before adding the Listed Tetrarch Stakes at the Curragh last year.

While still in its infancy, Hydrangea’s start at stud has a way to go to match the achievements of her dam Beauty Is Truth (Pivotal). While just half of that mare’s 14 foals won, they included three Group 1 winners, and a filly who was second in two of the best Group 1 races for juvenile fillies. Hydrangea herself was runner-up in both the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Fillies’ Mile, and at three was classic-placed in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas.

Prominence

After she won a Group 1, the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown, Hydrangea added a second at Ascot when annexing the British Champions Fillies/Mares Stakes. Her two Group 1-winning siblings were also by Galileo (Sadler’s Wells). The United States rose to prominence in Australia, where he won and placed in the Group 1 Ranvet Rawson Stakes. He is now at stud in South Africa.

Hermosa matched Hydrangea’s two Group 1 wins, hers coming in the English and Irish 1000 Guineas. She has started well at stud and is dam of Trinity College (Dubawi) who won the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot last year and followed up by running second in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris. Yet another full-sister bred Whirl (Wootton Bassett). Last year she was runner-up in the Group 1 Oaks before going on to win the Group 1 Nassau Stakes and Pretty Polly Stakes.

Making the Prix du Jockey Club a truly run race was the third O’Brien-trained runner, Montreal (Sea The Stars). He kept on to be third, and he is a half-brother to Cayenne Pepper (Australia), the Group 2 Blandford Stakes winner who was second in the Group 1 Irish Oaks and Pretty Polly Stakes. Montreal has the stakes-placed Allegretta (Lombard) twice in the third remove. She is the third dam of Montreal, and the grandam, via Urban Sea (Miswaki), of Sea The Stars (Cape Cross).