SATURDAY’s big race was the €250,000 Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, a mile and a quarter juvenile event which three years earlier had provided the springboard for Waldgeist’s career.
This played host to a dominant front-running performance from Mkfancy, a son of Makfi who scored by three lengths from the Aidan O’Brien pair of Arthur’s Kingdom and Mythical.
Successful in maiden company on his previous start, Mkfancy was a first Group 1 victory for jockey Theo Bachelot and a first two-year-old triumph at the top level for Chantilly trainer, Pia Brandt.
Running
“I knew that he would love the ground but wasn’t expecting him to have to make his own running,” Brandt said. “He’s got plenty of size and I’m hoping that he fills out over the winter – then we can dream big with him next season.”
Hermine Bastide, Coolmore Stud’s French racing manager, said: “Arthur’s Kingdom showed a lot of courage today and Olivier Peslier was very happy with him, just as Mickael Barzalona was with Mythical.
“They are two promising horses for next year. They both handled the testing ground pretty well but the result might have been different if it had been ‘good’.”
IT was a quiet but highly successful Saturday for Newmarket trainer William Haggas.
The abandonment of the big British meetings at Doncaster and Newbury meant that he had just two runners – both at Saint-Cloud – and they combined to pull off a notable Group 3 double.
The brace was completed in the €80,000 Prix Perth by Miss O Connor, victorious on her debut at Gowran Park in May and subsequently sold out of Johnny Feane’s Co Kildare yard.
Unbeaten
She is now unbeaten in four career starts, and means a lot to the Haggas family, as William’s wife, Maureen, explained.
“After she won at Gowran our son, Sam, who is a bloodstock agent, said that we must buy her, prompting William to make fun of him for being so keen on a filly who hadn’t even seen a racecourse until the age of four.
“Fortunately, Roy and Gretchen Jackson, two of our most loyal owners, trusted Sam and now they’ve got an unbeaten Group 3 winner who is likely to give them more fun next year.”
The other Haggas winner was the mudlark Lawman filly Monica Sheriff, who landed the €80,000 Group 3 Prix de Flore to make if five wins in a row dating back to a maiden victory at Haydock Park in early June.
Au revoir Maisons-Laffitte?
MAISONS-Laffitte Racecourse opened its doors for what may be the final time on Tuesday (October 29th) as it staged an eight-race card.
Negotiations are ongoing concerning the potential sale of the course, so it could yet be saved, but as things stand there is no chance of racing resuming there before 2021 at the earliest.