Campanelle takes her road trip to Deauville for Maurice de Gheest
From Florida to England to France, 3-year-old filly Campanelle is undefeated in sprint races, and she’s favored to win another Sunday at Deauville in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest.
Run over a straight course, the Maurice de Gheest is the rare Group 1 contested at 6 1/2 furlongs, a race for horses not quite sturdy enough to see out a high-class mile nor quick enough for five-furlong contests. And it should suit Campanelle perfectly. The filly’s lone loss came in the two-turn, one-mile Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, where she was fourth last fall. After winning her debut at Gulfstream Park, Campanelle won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and, after returning home to Kentucky, was back in Europe to land the Prix Morny over a straight six furlongs last August at Deauville. In her lone 2021 start, she finished a close second in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Ascot but was placed first when Dragon Symbol was disqualified for interfering with her shortly before the finish.
Trainer Wesley Ward never has won the de Gheest, but he and owner Stonestreet Stables have targeted this race for Campanelle, who worked twice on the Arlington grass course in late July before flying from Chicago to France for Sunday’s start. Campanelle, by Kodiac, handles all course conditions, even winning, by disqualification, over heavy ground at Ascot in June, though the Deauville turf was rated “good” on Friday. Frankie Dettori, Campanelle’s jockey her last four starts, has the mount, and Campanelle, the only 3-year-old filly entered, gets four pounds from 3-year-old males and eight pounds from her older male rivals.
Campanelle, however, is far from a certain winner in a strong field. Four-year-old Starman, a strong second choice in antepost wagering, concedes eight pounds to Campanelle but brings a formidable record into the de Gheest. Starman’s lone loss from six starts came over boggy ground last fall at Ascot, and he confirmed intimations of top-class form with a decisive win over talented opposition in the Group 1 July Cup, a six-furlong straight-course sprint at Newmarket, where he defeated Dragon Symbol by 1 1/4 lengths while giving weight.
Three-year-olds Laws of Indices and Thunder Moon finished one-two last month at Deauville in the seven-furlong Prix Jean Prat for 3-year-olds, which was run over a very soft course that aided Laws of Indices, a 29-1 shot in the race. Rohaan finished a disappointing 10th in the July Cup but beat Dragon Symbol in May. Lope Y Fernandez, third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile last fall, was third in the 2020 de Gheest and should appreciate cutting back to the shorter trip after racing over one mile in his four starts this year.
Post time for the de Gheest is set at 9:50 a.m. Eastern and you can catch all the Deauville action at DRFBets.com.
Tarnawa returns
Tarnawa, winner of the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Turf, easily won the Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes on Friday at Leopardstown in Ireland while making her first start of the season. Tarnawa, Colin Keane up for trainer Dermot Weld, was home by 6 1/2 lengths while shaking off rust after a long absence. Tarnawa has all manner of important races on her agenda, starting with the Irish Champion Stakes on Sept. 12. Tarnawa is among the shorter prices in early betting on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and could return to the United States for the BC Turf in November at Del Mar.
◗ Go Bears Go and Castle Street are the favorites in the six-furlong Phoenix Stakes on Sunday at The Curragh, an early-season Group 1 for 2-year-olds.
◗ Walton Street, last seen finishing fourth in the Group 1 Sheema Classic, heads eight entrants in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin over 1 1/2 miles on Sunday at Hoppegarten. James Doyle rides for trainer Charlie Appleby and Godolphin. Also entered is the 4-year-old filly Alpinista, who won the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks over 1 1/2 miles at Haydock Park in her most recent race.