By Tom Frary
He started slowly and left it late again, but ultimately it was Al Shaqab Racing and Gerard Augustin-Normand's Brametot (Ire) (Rajsaman {Fr}) who came up trumps in Sunday's G1 QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly to bring up a Classic double. Just as he had when swooping at the finish to win the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Deauville May 14, the bay who started as the 17-10 favourite came from rear under Cristian Demuro with an undisturbed run unlike TDN Rising Star Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and he was able to oust that possibly unlucky rival in the shade of the post and score by a short head. “What a fantastic result and what a fantastic horse,” commented trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, who has won an astounding seven of the last 12 domestic Classics. “My worry was whether he would stay or not, but I was quite confident he would because they stay well on his dam's side. After that, we have to stay he does stay. It is always frightening when they come from so far behing, but he is a fighter and finds more and more as he gets closer to the horse in front of him, as he did in the Poulains.”
Sunday, Chantilly, France
QIPCO PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB-G1, €1,500,000, CHY, 6-4, 3yo, c/f, 10 1/2fT, 2:06.51, g/s.
1–BRAMETOT (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Rajsaman (Fr)
1st Dam: Morning Light (Ger), by Law Society
2nd Dam: Mosella (Ger), by Surumu (Ger)
3rd Dam: Monasia (Ger), by Authi (Ire)
(€26,000 Wlg '14 ARQDEC). O-Al Shaqab Racing & Gerard Augustin-Normand; B-Herve Cardemil (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget; J-Cristian Demuro. €857,100. Lifetime Record: 7-6-1-0, €1,326,340. *1/2 to Mulan (Ger) (Marju {Ire}), GSP-Nor & SP-Fr,$157,444. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”mandore-private-purchased”]2–Waldgeist (GB), 128, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Waldlerche (GB), by Monsun (Ger). O-Gestut Ammerland, Newsells Park Stud, Michael Tabor & Susan Magnier; B-Waldlerche Partnership (GB); T-Andre Fabre. €342,900.
3–Recoletos (Fr), 128, c, 3, Whipper–Highphar (Fr), by Highest Honor (Fr). O/B-SARL Darpat France (FR); T-Carlos Laffon-Parias. €171,450.
Margins: SHD, 1, HF. Odds: 1.70, 7.40, 4.10.
Also Ran: Taj Mahal (Ire), War Decree, Orderofthegarter (Ire), Bay of Poets (Ire), Rivet (Ire), Be My Sheriff (Ger), D'bai (Ire), Soleil Marin (Ire), Plumatic (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
After three starts at Deauville which included a second in the Listed Criterium du FEE in August, Brametot registered a first black-type success in the Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux in October and returned as the main stable principal in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau over this course and distance Apr. 16. Seemingly blowing his prospects by markedly missing the kick there, he still managed to stamp his authority on proceedings prior to beating Le Brivido (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in that pulsating finale to the Poulains three weeks ago. On that occasion, he had to graft to get to the main group racing in the centre and showed he was far from workshy with a determined flourish and it was a case of deja vu tackling this different test.
Blowing the start as he had in the Prix de Fontainebleau, Brametot was detached by a length throughout the early stages of this Classic as Taj Mahal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) took up pace-setting duties. Angled off the rail by Cristian Demuro before the famous chateau, he was set for a clean run turning for home and needed rousing as he straightened up. Waldgeist was momentarily trapped in a pocket with two furlongs remaining and lost vital momentum, while Orderofthegarter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was denied a passage on the rail as he ran up the back of stablemate Taj Mahal. As Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper) struck for home, Waldgeist arrived with a surge and took it up only for Brametot to subdue him in the nick of time.
Brametot was one of those who missed the outbreak of the Equine Herpesvirus (EHV-1) in the Rouget stable and the trainer was counting his blessings afterwards. “I was lucky he was not hit by the virus in April, thankfully he escaped,” he commented. “I felt he was not travelling in the race as well as usual, perhaps because of the undulations, and up to the furlong marker I thought he couldn't win it but his guts saw him through. He has had two real races now and will need a break, so we will probably do what we did with Almanzor last year. We will wait until September.”
Waldgeist's breeder and part-owner Dietrich von Boetticher was far from disappointed by the outcome and said, “It is a great result and he ran a great race. Andre Fabre decided to come here rather Epsom, which had been the original plan, because this would be easier on the horse and we'd like to see him last. He has a real nice future and lost by very little, as Hurricane Run did before going on to win the Irish Derby. Maybe we can try that [at The Curragh July 1], or the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris [at Saint-Cloud July 14]. We'll see what the trainer wants to do.”
Brametot is the last foal out of Morning Light, a daughter of the Listed Las Vegas-Slenderella-Rennen winner Mosella which means that she is a half-sister to the triple group 1-winning champion sire Monsun (Ger). That legendary patriarch of the German breeding industry's full-sister Morning Queen (Ger) is the second dam of the G1 Prix du Cadran heroine Molly Malone (Fr) (Lomitas {GB}) and the G3 Prix Chloe scorer and G1 Prix Saint-Alary, GI Jenny Wiley S. and GI Gamely S. runner-up Wekeela (Fr) (Hurricane Run {Ire}). The third dam Monasia was successful at listed level and is a half to the dam of the dual Classic-winning champion Majoritat (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}).
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