Criterium International (Group 1)
AIDAN O’Brien completed a weekend Group 1 juvenile hat-trick at Saint-Cloud on Sunday as Puerto Rico and Pierre Bonnard both justified odds-on favouritism 24 hours after Hawk Mountain had led home a Ballydoyle 1-2-3 in the Futurity Stakes at Doncaster. Continuing to deputise for the injured Ryan Moore, Christophe Soumillon took the Parisian riding honours.
These Saint-Cloud end-of-term features have not always been an accurate indicator of top-class talent for the following season, partly because they tend to take place on hock-deep ground much softer than the ‘very soft’ conditions which prevailed this time around.
The convincing style of the two victories, and the fact that both colts are far from the out-and-out mudlarks who sometimes hold sway in these events, suggests that the duo are likely to pay their way during classic campaigns in 2026.
Puerto Rico does have an extraordinary profile compared to most of O’Brien’s best youngsters of years past in that this son of Wootton Bassett failed to win any of his first five races, albeit they included a pair of runner-up finishes in Group 2 company.
The switch to front-running tactics has been the making of him, though after he had made it three successive wire-to-wire wins with a length and three-quarter triumph in Sunday’s Criterium International, his trainer was of the opinion that he could also excel under different circumstances.
“We wanted to see how comfortable he would be over a mile today and Christophe was happy to take a lead if someone else wanted to go on,” O’Brien said. “He’s always happy to get a lead but he’s an unusual horse as he has a lot of speed yet also stays very well.
“He’s uncomplicated and would be happy on fast ground.”
Soumillon added: “Puerto Rico has a lot of talent but he looks around a bit and you have to make sure he concentrates. He was a little upset in the stalls but I made sure we got a good start as he’s very happy when he can dominate.”
Aidan’s other runners filled the last three places, behind his son Joseph’s Hardy Warrior, who took fourth. Ralph Beckett’s Cape Orator overraced in the early stages and was caught late for second by the solitary domestic hope, Campacite.
Criterium de Saint-Cloud (Group 1)
PIERRE Bonnard looked like he might be in for a hard tussle approaching the final furlong of the Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 10 furlongs. Then he suddenly engaged top gear and drew away to defeat A Boy Named Susie, trained by Donnacha O’Brien, by a decisive two lengths.
“This is just mad,” exclaimed Soumillon afterwards. “To win two Group 1s on the same afternoon without needing to use any more than hands and heels.
“They went a good gallop and Pierre Bonnard is a bit immature, so I was keen not to get done for a turn of foot. He takes a bit of time to get going, but can really sustain his effort when he does.”
O’Brien said: “We weren’t sure if we should give Pierre Bonnard another race [after his Zetland Stakes victory], but I am glad that we did; he’s proved himself capable of adapting to conditions very different from those he experienced at Newmarket.
“He has a lot of class and, although Christophe said that he travelled easily, he also thought that he was still quite green. He’s by Camelot, they can be a little lively, but they have real quality and stay very well. He’s a very promising horse and will start off next season in one of the Derby trials.”
A Boy Named Susie took advantage of the absence of his narrow Eyrefield Stakes conqueror, Christmas Day, to hold off Proof by a neck for the bridesmaid’s spot.
Christmas Day’s absence left Aidan O’Brien with three representatives. Isaac Newton stayed on steadily late to finish fourth but Endorsement weakened late, having made the running and beat just two of his nine opponents. The final Irish challenger was Joseph O’Brien’s Shosholoza, who ran a solid race in fifth.
Prix Royal-Oak (Group 1)
THE staying division has lacked quality this season but Sunday may have been the day that a new star emerged as Arrow Eagle, a Gleneagles half-brother to the brilliant Arc hero, Ace Impact, proved his stamina on a first try at beyond a mile and a half to land the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak.
Double Major, the 2023 and 2024 winner of this near two-mile showpiece, seemed set to complete the hat-trick until dropping away tamely inside the final furlong, and Arrow Eagle stormed down the outside to pass the post two lengths to the good.
Aidan O’Brien’s Queenstown had helped set a decent gallop and stayed on doughtily to hold on for second, comfortably reversing Prix du Cadran form with Caballo De Mar, who trailed home in seventh and last.
Winning trainer Jean-Claude Rouget was absent as he continues to battle serious health issues, leaving an understandably emotional Jean-Rene Dubosc, his long-serving deputy, to say: “Arrow Eagle is a very heavy horse who has taken a long time to come to himself, and the boss has brought him along steadily.
“I’ve always been convinced that he is a stayer and to see both him and Campacite produce such massive performances three weeks after their defeats on Arc day has been a real pleasure.”
Two notable Group 3 winners at Saint-Cloud were La Isla Mujeres and Sparks Fly. The former, a five-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega trained by Paddy Twomey, was possibly running for the last time as she broke her Pattern duck with a superb five-and-a-half-length victory in the Prix Belle de Nuit.
The Dave Loughnane-trained Sparks Fly is set to race on after she gave her 24-year-old rider, Laura Pearson, her biggest career victory by four lengths in the Prix Perth.