by Desmond Stoneham
Last year, Alex Pantall became the first trainer from the west of France to win a classic at Chantilly when he saddled Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s West Wind (GB) to victory in the Prix de Diane Hermes (Fr-G1).
On June 1, another trainer from the west of France, Eric Libaud, followed in his footsteps by taking the $2,333,550 Prix du Jockey-Club (Fr-G1) (French Derby) with Vision d’Etat.
The race was very much a French affair except the winner was ridden by 34-year-old Spaniard Ioritz Mendizabal. Vision d’Etat’s perfectly timed late run turned back the strong challenge of the Ireland-based colt Famous Name, who charged up the center of the track from his wide outside draw. The winning margin was a head.
Natagora, winner of the Stanjamesuk.com One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1), appeared to be the likely winner at the furlong marker, but she ran out of steam in the final strides of the 2,100-meter (10.44-furlong) classic. High Rock, the 4-to-1 favorite who set the early pace, finished fourth.
Vision d’Etat, the second choice at 7.20-to-1, is now unbeaten in five races, and the French Derby was his first outing in a group event. Libaud, who trains 60 horses in the Sarthe region of France, said after the race: “Vision d’Etat has always been a little bit difficult, and that’s why he needs time before each race. He has not yet reached full maturity. He now deserves a break, and we will bring him back later in the season. He will tell me when.” Libaud bought the son of Chichicastenango at the 2006 Arqana December yearling sale in Deauville.
Libaud is no stranger to Group 1 success. He trained 2002 Dubai Duty Free (UAE-G1) winner Terre a Terre and Ange Gabriel, winner of the ’02 Hong Kong Vase (HK-G1) who also landed back-to-back victories in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in ’02 and ’03.
Even though Mendizabal was taken off all the Parisian runners of Jean-Claude Rouget, the trainer of High Rock was one of the first people to congratulate the jockey, and they still enjoy great success in the French provinces.
Mendizabal has more than 100 winners this season and is well on the way to his second French jockey championship. “I had a perfect race, and we were always holding the runner-up,” he said.
Dermot Weld, trainer of the second-place finisher, took defeat on the chin. “Famous Name was given a brilliant ride [by Pat Smullen] but was just pushed a little wide while the winner had a nice run up the inner,” Weld said. “He ran a cracker and ran his heart out. You couldn’t ask for more.”
The crowd of 14,000 cheered when Natagora took the lead at the two-furlong marker, but she and jockey Frankie Dettori were unable to hang on. “She ran a great race but didn’t quite last out the final 200 yards,” Dettori said. “It was just her heart that won her third place.”
Desmond Stoneham is a France-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent