DARLEY PRIX MORNY
(GROUP 1)
PRIOR to last weekend English and Irish-trained horses had won four of the five Group 1 races at Deauville this season and that record got even better by late Sunday afternoon.
Both the Darley Prix Jean Romanet and the Darley Prix Morny fell to British horses to prolong an excellent record of raiders to the Normandy region track.
Foreign-trained juveniles have now won the Morny for the past six years and the famous event will rest in Karl Burke’s memory all his life as not only did he saddle the winner Unfortunately but also the runner-up Havana Grey.
Burke’s colts dominated the finish of the race and it was Theresa Marnane’s gallant filly Different League who filled third place ahead of Zonza and High Dream Milena.
The disappointment of the race was the favourite Tantheem as she finished seventh and one place behind the well-fancied Nyaleti from the Mark Johnston stable.
Havana Grey took the field along while his stablemate Unfortunately was settled in mid division by Frenchman Tony Piccone. It wasn’t until just inside the final fulong that Unfortunately picked up to lead but from there he won convincingly.
The Irish-bred son of the sadly deceased Society Rock was adding the Morny to the Prix Robert Papin which he had captured the previous month. The last two-year-old to achieve the feat was the Clive Cox-trained Reckless Abandon in 2012.
It was the legendary Francois Boutin who was the last person to saddle the first two past the post with the superlative Arazi and Kenbu in 1991. It was also the second fastest Morny on record and only the Brian Meehan-trained Arcano had gone faster in 2009.
Burke was winning his second Group 1 race at Deauville as back in 2015 he captured the Prix Jean Romanet with Odeliz. The North Yorkshire-based trainer said: “I was surprised to see that the three colts were last in the betting. Havana Grey and Unfortunately worked together four or five times earlier in the season and the grey was quicker but I thought Unfortunately might turn out the better.
IMPROVED
He has improved a lot and six furlongs is his true distance. It is now logical that he runs in the Middle Park. No plans at present for Havana Grey.”
Piccone was winning his second Group 1 contest for an English trainer as he was on board Robin Of Navan who won the 2015 Criterium de Saint-Cloud for Harry Dunlop. He reported: “There’s not much of him but he does exactly what you ask and is an easy ride.”
Matthieu Palussiere said of the Albany Stakes winner Different League: “The ground was a little quick for her but she had a lovely race. The filly will not be prepared for the Cheveley Park Stakes.”
The three first past the post in the Morny were all bargains. The Tally-Ho Stud-bred Unfortunately cost just €24,000 as a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland, Havana Grey was bred at the Mickley Stud in Shropshire and fetched €70,000 at the Arqana Sale in 2016 while Different League made just €8,000 as a foal in 2015 at the Arqana December Sale.