By Sean Cronin
Fozzy Stack trainee Thesecretadversary (St Mark's Basilica) was able to contain his enthusiasm when annexing last month's G3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot and dominated throughout Sunday's G1 Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Prix Jean Prat at Deauville to lower the colours of Classic winners True Love (No Nay Never) and Rayif (Sea The Moon).
“We thought he'd run well, but he came here taking on two Guineas winners, especially one who doesn't live too far away from us,” said Stack after registering a first success at the highest level in Europe. “It's a great day, his last two days have been unbelievable and I'd like to thank the Rupert and Magnier families for sending us the horse.
“Seamus [Heffernan] and Christophe [Soumillon] spoke earlier today and Christophe asked did I mind if he made the running because he didn't envisage any pace in the race. I told him not to fight the horse and don't get beat! He carried it out to perfection.
“He has a great constitution and he's very tough and honest. For a horse we thought would get a mile, and maybe a little bit with it, Seamus and Christophe both said he's getting quicker and see six furlongs as no problem. We trained his grandmother, she was a sprinter, and a lot of the family have been sprinters, so maybe he's reverting to type.
“He's been on the go since before Royal Ascot as a two-year-old last year, he's been to Canada and we've thrown a lot of things at him and he keeps coming back. We'll see how he comes out of this and then we'll make a plan. He's got an Irish Champion Stakes entry, but he won't be going there.
“If you said to me a month ago I'll have two Royal Ascot winners and a Group 1 winner in Deauville, I'd have said 'stop, will you', so it's amazing.”
Having previously raced too freely when unplaced in the G1 2,000 Guineas and G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas, the 7-1 chance was allowed to stride on in front after breaking smartly from the stands' side stall.
Comfortable on the front end through halfway, he came under pressure when threatened with a quarter-mile remaining and refused to surrender his advantage under a late drive to hold the G1 1,000 Guineas heroine True Love and Nighttime (Wootton Bassett) by a half-length and a head.
G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Rayif was unable to land a telling blow and finished just over two lengths adrift of the winner in fifth.
Soumillon, replacing the suspended Heffernan in the saddle, was confident of a bold show beforehand and that confidence was well placed. “Thesecretadversary is a superb horse, he's tough and very straightforward to ride,” the Belgian said. “The other day at [Royal] Ascot, he beat some very good horses. He had also suffered from several troubled trips earlier in his career, but we knew that certain racecourses perhaps didn't suit him perfectly. When I saw this straight course on a flat track, I thought he would be capable of running a very big race.
“Everything went perfectly throughout the race, I was never really under any pressure and, when I asked him to quicken, he responded extremely well. In the closing stages, I had to ask him for everything he had left because I could feel Ryan [Moore] coming back strongly aboard True Love. I think seven furlongs is really the limit of his stamina and I believe he would be just as effective over six furlongs. The logical next step could be the [G1] Prix Maurice de Gheest here at Deauville, but there are also some excellent six-furlong races in England. First, we'll see how he comes out of this race. He is a horse with an outstanding temperament, he's a beautiful individual physically, and I'm convinced he still has further improvement to come.”
Reflecting on the performance of third home Nighttime, Christopher Head said, “It's always very difficult to take on the Irish, especially as this is really their sport, but I was delighted with Nighttime's attitude. He was extremely professional and I'm really pleased to see him performing again at this level. He produced a very fine performance and his jockey [Maxime Guyon] also came back very satisfied. He told me, 'When you're racing among horses that have won the Guineas or the Poules d'Essai, what more could you ask for?' That sums up the merit of his performance.
“It was his first run on a straight course and I never really had any doubts about his ability to handle it. I felt this type of track would suit him, and he proved that today. As for what's next, we'll discuss it with the owners before deciding on his programme. It's still a little too early to say where we'll see him again later this summer.”
Thesecretadversary leads them all the way in the Prix Jean Prat! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/YG9SnyXM1z
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 12, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Thesecretadversary, who becomes the second Group 1 winner for his second-crop sire, is the second of four foals produced by Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial victrix and G2 Ridgewood Pearl Stakes third Too Soon To Panic (Gleneagles), herself the leading performer out of G3 Phoenix Sprint winner Scream Blue Murder (Oratorio).
Too Soon To Panic is kin to G3 Flame Of Tara Stakes runner-up Ahandfulofsummers (Galileo) and the dual stakes-placed Wargrave (Galileo).
His third dam, Listed Fern Hill winner Holly Blue (Bluebird), is also responsible for the multiple Group-winning G1 South African Fillies Sprint and G1 Majorca Stakes placegetter Gibraltar Blue (Rock Of Gibraltar). She is also the second dam of recent G2 Airlie Stud Stakes winner Sun Goddess (Sioux Nation).
Too Soon To Panic has also thrown the once-raced two-year-old full-sister to the winner, named Endless Night, and a yearling colt by Wootton Bassett.
Sunday, Deauville, France
HARAS DE FRESNAY-LE-BUFFARD PRIX JEAN PRAT-G1, €400,000, Deauville, 7-12, 3yo, c/f, 7fT, 1:22.17, gd.
1–THESECRETADVERSARY (IRE), 129, c, 3, by St Mark's Basilica (Fr)
1st Dam: Too Soon To Panic (Ire) (SW & GSP-Ire), by Gleneagles (Ire)
2nd Dam: Scream Blue Murder (Ire), by Oratorio (Ire)
3rd Dam: Holly Blue (GB), by Bluebird
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Cayton Park Stud & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore & Cayton Park Stud; T-Fozzy Stack; J-Christophe Soumillon. €228,560. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng & Ire, 10-4-3-0, €476,162. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–True Love (Ire), 125, f, 3, No Nay Never–Alluringly, by Fastnet Rock (Aus). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore; T-Aidan O'Brien. €91,440.
3–Nighttime (Fr), 129, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Daytime (GB), by Frankel (GB). O/B-Wertheimer & Frere; T-Christopher Head. €45,720.
Margins: HF, HD, NK. Odds: 7.00, 1.70, 5.90.
Also Ran: Samangan (Ire), Rayif (Ire), Time To Turn (GB), Go Man (Fr), Imperior (Fr).
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