Elusive Kate defends crown in Prix Rothschild

Elusive Kate defended her title and won the fourth Group 1 race of her career with a relatively easy victory in Sunday’s $396,000 Prix Rothschild at Deauville, France.

Ridden by William Buick, Elusive Kate (9-5) disputed the early lead with 25-1 Chigun, took a clear lead with a quarter-mile remaining, and was not seriously challenged, pulling away in the final sixteenth to win the one-mile race by 2 1/2 lengths.

Duntle, the winner of the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, finished second, a short head in front of Kenhope, who was second in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Elusive Kate, a 4-year-old Kentucky-bred filly by Elusive Quality, races for Teruya Yoshida and trainer John Gosden. A winner of 7 of 14 starts, Elusive Kate won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp in Paris in 2011 and the 2012 Prix Rothschild. She won the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, England, on July 12.

Last August, Elusive Kate was third against males in the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, a race that could figure in her plans next month, Gosden said.

Neatico wins Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen

In Sunday’s Group 1 Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen in Munich, Neatico won his third consecutive group stakes in the race over 1 1/4 miles on turf.

Ridden by Andreas Starke and trained by Peter Schiergen, Neatico (3-1) closed from third in a field of six to win by 1 1/4 lengths over 3-2 favorite Opposite. Hunter’s Light, seventh in the Dubai World Cup in March, finished third.

Neatico is a 6-year-old German-bred by Medicean who won Group 3 races earlier this summer in Dortmund and Hamburg.