Brametot tries longer distance in French Derby
Brametot, the winner of the French 2000 Guineas at Deauville on May 14, will face a distance test in Sunday’s Group 1 French Derby at 1 5/16 miles at Chantilly Racecourse north of Paris.
Brametot has won five of six starts for trainer Jean Claude Rouget and owners Al Shaqab Racing and Gerard Augustin-Normand. He is unbeaten in two starts this year at a mile, the longest races of his career – the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau at Chantilly on April 16 and the French 2000 Guineas.
As of Friday, Brametot was about 9-5 with European bookmakers for the $1,690,200 French Derby, a strong choice over the group stakes winners Recoletos (4-1) and Rivet (8-1) in the field of 12.
Brametot will be ridden by Cristian DeMuro and is part of a field of 12. A colt by Rajsaman, Brametot tends to run from off the pace. He won the 2000 Guineas by a short head as a 4-1 shot over 16-1 Le Brivido, who is not part of the French Derby field. In the Prix de Fontainebleau, Brametot broke poorly and took the lead in the final quarter-mile to win by 2 1/2 lengths.
Sunday’s race does include runners proven at the distance, notably Recoletos and Soleil Marin. Those two, along with Bay of Poets, were supplemented for approximately $81,000 this week.
Recoletos has won his last three starts, including the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe at 1 1/4 miles at Saint-Cloud on May 8, beating Waldgeist, who is part of the French Derby field. Waldgeist, trained by Andre Fabre, won the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud at 1 1/4 miles last October and had his first start of the year in the Prix Greffulhe.
Soleil Marin won the Group 3 Prix Noailles at 1 5/16 miles at Chantilly on April 16 and is on a four-race winning streak for Godolphin Racing and Fabre. The French Derby will be the Group 1 debut for Soleil Marin.
Bay of Poets, owned by Godolphin, was second in the Dee Stakes at Chester, England, on May 12.
Rivet, third in the French 2000 Guineas, is considered a threat to the favorite. Trained in England by William Haggas, Rivet will start in the longest race of his career. He won the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at a mile at Doncaster, England, last October.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien has three runners, all outsiders – Orderofthegarter, Taj Mahal, and War Decree.
War Decree, who will be ridden by Ryan Moore, won the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at seven furlongs at Goodwood, England, last July and was second as the 2-1 favorite in the Group 3 Craven Stakes at a mile at Newmarket, England, on April 20 in his 3-year-old debut.
The French Derby distance will be a new test for War Decree, a Kentucky-bred colt by War Front and the only American-bred in the field.