Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (Group 1)

AIDAN O’Brien landed his second French colts’ classic of the season at Chantilly last Sunday when Camille Pissarro took the Group 1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club – a race dominated by the continent’s biggest ownership groups as Coolmore, Godolphin, Juddmonte and the late Aga Khan were responsible for the first six across the line.

It was also a contest where it paid to race handy, the first four all having been among the initial quintet of contenders to round the home turn with two and a half furlongs to run.

After the early pace had been cut out by the O’Brien second string, Trinity College, the free-running Bowmark took over in front after three furlongs and stayed there until Trinity College reasserted early in the home straight.

When Cualificar and Detain threw down strong challenges on his outside approaching the final furlong just as Camille Pissarro was looking for a gap towards the inside, for a moment it looked like Trinity College might deny his stablemate a chance of victory.

But Ryan Moore was able to edge Camille Pissarro out past a floundering Bowmark, then squeeze back through against the rail.

In front with 150 yards to run on a horse renowned for not doing much in front, Moore kept his mount going under a firm left-handed drive, passing the post half a length clear of Cualificar with Detain, Trinity College and the fast-finishing Aga Khan duo of Azimpour and Ridari close behind in the next four places at margins of a neck, a head, another neck and a short-head.

There is no doubt that Camille Pissarro benefited from his position in stall one, though he hit the front plenty soon enough and was by no means a lucky winner.

The horses to take out of the race are probably Azimpour, who was drawn 16 of 18 and did by far the best of those drawn wide, and Sinileo, who showed distinct signs of greenness on just the second start of his life so was far from disgraced in eighth.

Yet my impression is that, even if he had been hit with a high stall allocation, Camille Pissarro probably has the class to have also won by adopting the ‘fast, wide and late’ come-from-behind tactics pulled off by the likes of Ace Impact and Sottsass in recent Jockey Clubs.

The French handicapper does not agree with me, rating the 2025 hero as the race’s worst since 2018, though his hands were tied somewhat by the narrow margins between the first six finishers.

Bargain

A son of the Coolmore stallion Wootton Bassett (as is the third home, Detain), Camille Pissarro was bought for what now looks like a bargain 1.25 million guineas at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

Bred at James Cloney’s Clara Farm in Co Kilkenny, his dam, Entreat, was famously acquired by Cloney for just 14,000gns when carrying the subsequent Group 1-winning sire Golden Horde in her womb.

The winner was continuing a love affair with France. His record there now reads two Group 1 triumphs (he also lifted the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere last October) and a classic third in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains from three starts, as against a solitary success (in a Navan maiden) from seven starts elsewhere.

Christophe Soumillon had been aboard on both those previous French forays and, displaying his trademark wry sense of humour in the post-race press conference, Moore was quick to pass on credit to the Belgian, saying: “Christophe taught me how to ride him!

“The pace wasn’t mad and I just had to show patience and wait for a run to present itself. It was a smart performance from a colt who continues to get better.”

Congratulate

Soumillon was aboard Detain this time and, ever aware of the possibility of getting back on the winner in the future should the strength of the Ballydoyle battalion require Moore’s services elsewhere, Soumillon was the first to congratulate the successful rider afterwards, giving Camille Pissarro an affectionate rub on the forehead as the pair pulled up together.

O’Brien, who was also quick to praise Soumillon for suggesting the Jockey Club as soon as he unsaddled after the Poulains, was non-committal about future targets.

“All options are open at distances of between a mile and a mile and a quarter, but he has a lot of speed,” he said.

Camille Pissarro is entered in pretty much every big race going, from the Commonwealth Cup and the Prix Jean Prat over six and seven furlongs, to the Eclipse over a mile and a quarter and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe over a mile and a half.

The mile and a half Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris was mentioned as a possible destination for the first two French-trained finishers, Cualificar and Azimpour, while the Aga Khan’s representative, Nemone Routh, suggested that a drop back to a mile could be on the cards for Ridari.

A NUMBER of other useful three-year-old prospects for the rest of the season emerged from the undercard, none more impressive than Soumillon’s mount, Sunly, who put an easy two and a half lengths between herself and seven opponents at the conclusion of the mile and a half Group 3 Prix de Royaumont.

A Juddmonte home-bred Night Of Thunder filly trained by Francis Graffard, Sunly was unraced until early April.

From the family of Bated Breath, Cityscape and Xaar, she clearly stays further than that trio and has either the Ribblesdale Stakes or the Irish Oaks as a likely next port of call.

Soumillon was also aboard the Carlos and Yann Lerner-trained Godspeed, who put a below par effort when drawn wide in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches behind her to defeat Eponine by a length in the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham. A quick reappearance in the Group 1 Prix de Diane on June 11th is a possibility for her.

Graffard also saw his Rayveka, carrying the green Aga Khan silks, run away with the listed six-furlong Prix Marchand d’Or, a performance that could merit a supplementary entry for the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.

THE much-loved trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, who has been battling serious illness for some time, was a welcome sight in the paddock saddling his two Jockey Club runners.

A little while later, he received a warm and heartfelt reception in the winner’s enclosure after Arrow Eagle, a Gleneagles half-brother to the brilliant Jockey Club victor, Ace Impact, prevailed in a tight finish to the day’s biggest event for older horses, the four-runner Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly.

Arc possible target

Brought to tears by the crowd’s support, Rouget revealed afterwards that he feared that the ground would prove too quick for Arrow Eagle, who now has the Arc as his big target, possibly taking in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud en route if Paris gets some mid-summer rain.

The final pattern race on the card, the five-furlong Group 3 Prix du Gros-Chene, proved to be a big anti-climax as the hot favourite, Kind Of Blue, threw away his chance by rearing as the stalls opened.

The 29/1 outsider Monteille, trained by Mario Baratti, was the one to take advantage, scoring by a length and three-quarters under Arrow Eagle’s jockey, Cristian Demuro.