Fast Raaj shows plenty of speed

TRADITIONALLY the most prestigious early classic trials are the straight seven-furlong Prix Djebel and Prix Imprudence, now run at Deauville following the demise of Maisons-Laffitte.

And though the winners of Thursday’s renewals of these Group 3 features came from unexpected sources, there is a chance that one or both could follow in the hoofprints of recent former winners such as Charm Spirit, Le Havre, Watch Me and Ervedya and make it to the top.

The Djebel, for colts, was run almost two seconds faster than the fillies’ equivalent and resulted in just a fifth career pattern race success for local handler, Yann Barberot, courtesy of the 116/10 chance Fast Raaj.

Ridden by Gregory Benoist, he hit the front approaching the furlong marker and then found extra to keep Pimento at bay, holding on by a neck, with the front pair pulling three lengths clear to register a notable one-two for the veteran stallion Iffraaj.

It was probably significant that both the first two had the benefit of a recent run under their belts, unlike some of their principal rivals.

Barberot admitted that this race, run on his doorstep, had been Fast Raaj’s target for some time, and was not immediately committing him to a tilt at the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, saying it was just a possibility as were races over less than a mile including in England.

Bigger surprise

The Imprudence produced an even bigger surprise as the 18/1 outsider, Reina Madre, got up on the line under a perfectly timed Christophe Soumillon ride to collar Sky Angel and score by a short neck.

On the face of it, Reina Madre looks some way short of the quality you would expect of the winner of a race of this stature: she was beaten into second in a provincial listed race last October and then could manage no better than fourth in Spain’s top juvenile race.

Yet, a daughter of Kingman and a listed-winning Falbrav mare, she cost a tidy €350,000 at Goffs (her owner, an American of Cuban extraction now based in Spain who races under the banner ‘Yeguada Centurion’, has been a big spender at the sales of late) and hails from Paddy Burns’s Loughtown Stud in Co Kildare.

She also may have improved for the winter switch from Spain to join trainer Mauricio Delcher Sanchez. He said: “I’ve only had her since mid-January and she has still got her winter coat but we were quite sweet on her chances. After winning here I suppose she’s 80% certain to go for the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, though a mile would be the limit of her stamina.”