By Tom Frary
Sent off an insulting 28-1, the Wertheimers' TDN Rising Star Plumatic (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) made a mockery of those odds when finally delivering on early promise in Wednesday's G2 Prix du Muguet at Saint-Cloud. Held up in last early by Vincent Cheminaud, last year's G3 Sovereign S. winner was still there turning for home as the 2018 G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War) was committed on the front end by Cristian Demuro. Bearing down on him as the line neared, the homebred son of Plumania (GB) (Anabaa) who had her finest moment here when winning the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud got the better of that fellow past TDN Rising Star in the last metres for a neck success. The winner's stablemate Met Et Nuages (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) was 3/4 of a length back in third, further confirming the excellent current form of the Fabre yard. “We had been running him over too far earlier in his career and he still managed to show a lot of quality, but he had spent a very good winter on the farm and looks like he has grown and fully matured,” commented the Wertheimers' racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau.
Plumatic had earned his TDN Rising Star tag on debut over 10 1/2 furlongs here in March 2017, but form-wise had begun to wear the appearance of a flop by last summer even though he had run second in the G3 Prix de Guiche and the G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange in the interim. Tried at this trip for the first time at Chantilly in July, the bay beat stablemate Graphite (Fr) (Shamardal) by three lengths in a conditions race before hinting at a belated ascent to the top in the Sovereign at Salisbury. Fourth when ridden forward in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp in September and in that track's G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein the following month, he was held on to here with his turn of acceleration in mind and it may be that Vincent Cheminaud who was deputising for Maxime Guyon on the disappointing Polydream (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) has found the key.
Pierre-Yves Bureau was pondering options for the resurgent homebred afterwards. “We've found his best distance, although he could probably go a little further,” he added. “We have to try and make him a group one winner and there are plenty of possibilities, one being the [G1] Prix d'Ispahan [at ParisLongchamp May 26]. He is not entered in the Queen Anne, but we will see nearer the time what M. Fabre wants to do.” Olmedo's trainer Jean-Claude Rouget was delighted with the effort of the runner-up, who had tended to over-race early. “He is definitely coming back to his best,” he said. “He'd run well last time, but was much better here and we could possibly run him in the d'Ispahan or Queen Anne now. We'll see how he comes out of this and if he improves.”
Plumatic was softening the subsequent blow for connections due to the reversal on the card of his 3-year-old half-brother Starmaniac (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the G2 Prix Greffulhe. Also a half to the listed-winning Maniaco (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Plumatic's dam, the aforementioned Plumania, was also a TDN Rising Star in her day who also took the G2 Prix Corrida as well as the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and was placed in the G1 Prix de Diane and G1 Prix Vermeille. Her half-sister Balladeuse (Fr) (Singspiel {Ire}) took the G2 Prix de Royallieu before producing the G1 Prix Vermeille heroine and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Left Hand (GB) by Plumatic's sire Dubawi. The third dam is Featherhill (Fr) (Lyphard), who threw the G1 Prix Lupin-winning Groom Dancer and fellow sires Slew the Slewor and Tagel, while descendants of her daughter Sea Hill (Seattle Slew) include the G2 Prix de Malleret winner Legerete (Rahy), the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains-winning sire Falco and G3 Prix Eclipse scorer Iron Lips (GB) (Iron Mask).
Sea Hill's sister Pieds de Plume (Fr) produced the duo of group 1 performers Rave Reviews (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Moth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), while this is also the family of the Japanese champion sprinter Kinshasa No Kiseki (Aus), the G1 Australian Oaks heroine Absolutely (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and G1 Australasian Oaks winner Abbey Marie (Aus) also by Redoute's Choice. Plumania's 2-year-old colt by Frankel (GB) named Castle (Ire) is in training with Christophe Ferland, while she also has a yearling filly by Starmaniac's sire Sea the Stars named Urbania (GB).
Wednesday, Saint-Cloud, France
PRIX DU MUGUET-G2, €130,000, Saint-Cloud, 5-1, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:37.97, gd.
1–PLUMATIC (GB), 126, h, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Plumania (GB) (G1SW-Fr, $838,738), by Anabaa
2nd Dam: Featherquest (GB), by Rainbow Quest
3rd Dam: Featherhill (Fr), by Lyphard
O/B-Wertheimer & Frere (GB); T-Andre Fabre; J-Vincent Cheminaud. €74,100. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 11-4-2-1, €231,794. *1/2 to Maniaco (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), SW & GSP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Olmedo (Fr), 126, c, 4, Declaration of War–Super Pie, by Pivotal (GB). (€100,000 Ylg '16 ARAU2). O-Ecurie Antonio Caro & Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Dream With Me Stable Inc (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €28,600.
3–Mer et Nuages (Fr), 126, c, 4, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Mahnaz (GB), by Dansili (GB). O-Godolphin SNC; B-Ecurie Peregrine SAS (FR); T-Andre Fabre. €13,650.
Margins: NK, 3/4, 2HF. Odds: 28.00, 4.60, 3.40.
Also Ran: Tornibush (Ire), Graphite (Fr), Polydream (Ire), Ostilio (GB). Scratched: Geniale (Jpn). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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