By Tom Frary
Providing an instant return on the investment of Resolute Bloodstock, Woodshauna (Wooded) was the one to edge a pulsating four-way go in Sunday's G1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville. Sold for £625,000 at Goffs London by Al Shaqab following his defeat of the subsequent G1 Commonwealth Cup winner Time For Sandals in the six-furlong G3 Prix Texanita at Chantilly in May, the 12-1 shot was able to get between the tight gaps and seize the advantage late for Christophe Soumillon.
“We decided to skip Ascot, as I wanted the horse to be strong for this race and it worked out,” Francis-Henri Graffard said. “He has a lot of speed and I think seven furlongs is the max for him. It's a big step up today. He's a lovely horse with a great attitude and he's improving physically.”
It was not until the last 75 metres that Woodshauna was able to thrust in front of three closely-matched peers and at the line there was a short neck to Maranoa Charlie (Wootton Bassett), with a short head separating that game front-runner and the revived The Lion In Winter (Sea The Stars) and another neck margin back to Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) in a finish that promised to go several different ways.
WOODSHAUNA WINS THE PRIX JEAN PRAT! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/LV5oMMdCJ3
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 6, 2025
A year on from his introduction in this track's Prix de Tancarville–that formed part of Saturday's card and was won 24 hours earlier by the stable's Rayif–Woodshauna was emerging as a genuine Group 1 performer for the first time but not without due warning. Winning the Listed Prix Montenica at Chantilly on only his fourth start, he was third to Maranoa Charlie in the course-and-distance G3 Prix Djebel in April prior to reversing that form shortening up for the Texanita.
It may be that Maranoa Charlie was unable to give his true running here, having possibly been softened up by Juddmonte's pacemaker Apollo Fountain (No Nay Never), but he deserves credit for the way he battled to remain in the ascendant in the final two furlongs. First the 7-5 favourite Cosmic Year (Kingman) and then Shadow Of Light loomed to his right, but while he dug in as the former faded tamely and the Godolphin runner again flattened out late as he had in the Guineas the real danger was imminent on the other wing.
The Lion In Winter, back at the seven-furlong trip over which he had beaten Ruling Court in last year's G3 Acomb Stakes, kept coming as the line neared but the sprinter surge that Woodshauna was able to conjure took him past the two stayers at the trip and on to glory. Ultimately, it was his 11.03 penultimate sectional which told. Only Shadow Of Light was able to produce something as decisive, with his 11.04 dash to the furlong pole looking a winning move before stamina ran out.
This is further evidence that the hot 3-year-old sprinting form so far this season is in France, with the Texanita now having produced a pair of Group 1 winners and the Commonwealth Cup second and third Arizona Blaze and Rayevka having captured the G3 Prix Sigy and Listed Prix Marchand d'Or respectively.
“Every time I have stepped him up in class he has responded,” Graffard added of the winner. “I think if he was closer in the Djebel he would have been very dangerous and on that form and my belief I was not scared today.”
“I'm so happy for John [Stewart] who is such a lovely, enthusiastic man for the industry and he has kept faith in me and let me do what I think is best for the horses and is rewarded today with a nice win. The Prix Maurice de Gheest could definitely be on the cards and I think he will be better dropped back in distance. I will see how he comes out of this, but that could be a race we target.”
Christopher Head said of Maranoa Charlie, “I'm delighted with his performance. I haven't seen the times yet, but this is by far the best he has done in his career. He loves this track. With the owners, we have decided to target the [Aug. 23 G1] City of York Stakes. He showed today that he knows how to pick up at the end of the race. He's really tough, with an incredible mentality.”
“I still think he's one of the best horses I've ever trained,” he added. “I'm eager to see him win his Group 1, because he fully deserves it and in the long term he'll keep improving. The colts by Wootton Bassett are really impressive over time.”
There were shades of Ajdal with The Lion In Winter, reduced drastically in trip after his Derby effort and
with this improved display under his belt Aidan O'Brien sees him as a miler. “He has a lot of speed,” he said. “We have two options. The Sussex Stakes or here in Deauville on the mile [The Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques Le Marois]. The horse ran very well, we're very happy.”
Pedigree Notes
While Wootton Bassett missed out here as Maranoa Charlie was carried out on his shield, Coolmore's pre-eminent sire who had already done good on his now almost weekly black-type guarantee earlier on the card via the 2-year-old Nighttime was still the key actor behind this story. That is because Woodshauna was breaking new ground as the first Group 1 winner for his second-crop sire, one of two sons of Wootton Bassett who have now achieved that feat alongside Almanzor.
Woodshauna, who had cost Al Shaqab €70,000 as a yearling, was bred by Marie and Patrick Lemarié's Haras du Magouet in the Loire-Atlantique and is the first foal out of the German Listed-placed sprinter Tosen Shauna (Alhebayeb). A half to the dams of the G3 Curragh Stakes-placed Blood Moon (Equiano) and the Listed Star Stakes runner-up Beat Seven (Beat Hollow), her 2-year-old colt by Hello Youmzain was a 72,000gns purchase by Dr Khaled Salami at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up.
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