By Tom Frary
The Wertheimers' sensational Deauville August Festival continued apace on Sunday as their star mare Aventure (Sea The Stars) took the honours in the G1 Sumbe Prix Jean et Louis Romanet.
If the market was to be believed, the unbeaten Diamond Necklace (St Mark's Basilica) needed only to turn up to collect but her flat finale paved the way for the Christophe Ferland-trained five-year-old to capitalise.
Enjoying a perfect ground-saving trip under cover, the 7-1 shot who had captured last year's Prix Vermeille was launched by Maxime Guyon approaching the final furlong and soon had the measure of Ballydoyle's 2-5 favourite en route to a comprehensive two-length success. Diamond Necklace held on to second by a head from the outsider Timeforshowcasing (Showcasing).
“She really did something today, she was perfectly ridden,” trainer Christophe Ferland said. “She loved that strong pace and 2,000 metres is really her thing now as she's got faster. We still have some stalls work to do, but she was impressive today giving four kilos away is a real top mare now–the mare of a lifetime. There is always pressure when you bring horses like her to the races and thankfully so.”
Even when Aventure was winning over a mile and a half as a three-year-old, she was showing potent acceleration and it may be that she was finding that trip a stretch even when runner-up to Bluestocking in the Vermeille and Arc of that season. She did land the Vermeille last September, beating the subsequent Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Gezora, but came unstuck on testing ground back in the Arc and had been overwhelmed by Calandagan in the last two runnings of the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.
In the last two renewals of the 10 1/2-furlong Prix Corrida, the homebred had dealt with the star fillies Survie and Sunly with her killer kick and whatever the betting market indicated beforehand, was plain and simple the fastest in this line-up. Her final three furlongs were completed in 35.27, with each sectional quicker than Diamond Necklace and no hint of fluke.
Ferland has no intention of trying the Arc for a third time. “She'll go to the Opera and then the Breeders' Cup [Filly & Mare Turf], with Hong Kong potentially bringing her season to a close although nothing has been decided yet,” he stated. “Seeing her confirm her ability at this level over 2,000 metres really opens up some exciting possibilities.”
“She is a fantastic mare and this success rewards a huge number of people. The whole team deserves congratulations–the breeder, the owners, but also everyone at the stud and the stable who works every day to breed, raise and prepare these horses. It is a genuine team effort.”
“The pedigrees of the horses I am now being sent are more geared towards stamina and are later-maturing, so I have fewer horses and therefore fewer runners. In fact, I only won my first race of the year with a two-year-old yesterday. It is probably the first time in my career that it has happened as late as August,” he added.
Aidan O'Brien said of Diamond Necklace, “She ran well, but the winner was better than her today. We were very happy with her going into the race and the ground was not a concern. We'll take her home now and see how she comes out of the race. She could be tried over 2,400 metres this autumn.”
Jaber Abdullah's German 1,000 Guineas winner Timeforshowcasing managed to confound the punters and a few judges with her career-best effort, but she was coming off a painfully narrow defeat in the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis. Trainer Charlie Johnston admitted to an element of surprise himself. “I'm absolutely over the moon, as she's danced plenty of dances this year and, to be honest, I thought we were biting off a bit more than we could chew here,” he said. “She's stepped up to a new level today and I think the ground is key. Maybe she'll get a little more respect going forward and recognitions that she is a quality filly in her own right.”
“Having been placed in two Group 1s now at ten, the weight of evidence is that this is her trip and the Opera could be a principal target now with maybe the Blandford first,” he added. “She's a phenomenal filly, we paid 15 grand for her and here she is competing with the best. She is a big, scopey girl and will be better at four so hopefully we can keep her in training.”
“Back to her brilliant best!” 🎙️
AVENTURE springs a surprise in the Prix Jean et Louis Romanet, defeating 2/9 favourite Diamond Necklace… pic.twitter.com/8S8DUdV98z
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) August 23, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Aventure's Prix de Royallieu-winning dam Balladeuse (Singspiel) is also responsible for the fellow Vermeille heroine Left Hand (Dubawi) and the Listed scorer Blissie (Dansili), who is in turn the dam of the Prix Dollar winner and Prix du Jockey Club runner-up First Look (Lope De Vega). A half to the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Plumania (Anabaa), who in turn produced four Stakes performers including another smart Dubawi in the G2 Prix du Muguet victor Plumatic, she is also connected to the dual Prix Royal-Oak hero Double Major (Daiwa Major).
Aventure's Group-placed half-sister Romanciere (Dansili) is the dam of Saturday's TDN Rising Star Allela (Night Of Thunder), joining another from those ranks in the exciting three-year-old gelding Zaraki (Zarak) who showed in the recent Prix Nureyev that he could be Arc material in 2027.
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