France: Laws of Indices scores upset in Prix Jean Prat
Laws of Indices made all the running and just held off Thunder Moon to post a near 30-1 upset in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat on Sunday at Deauville.
Laws of Indices is based in England with trainer Kevin Condon, who outlined a late-season plan that includes the Prix de la Foret on the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe card, followed by a potential trip to Del Mar for the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Laws of Indices, Group 1-placed at age 2, probably found the six-furlong Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot shorter than he prefers, but on the heels of that fifth-place finish the seven-furlong Jean Prat was right in his wheelhouse. Jockey Olivier Peslier let Laws of Indices go to the front while racing down the center of the track, and Laws of Indices, winning for the third time in 10 starts, fought off all challenges.
The principal one came from the Joseph O’Brien-trained Thunder Moon, who showed ample talent and potential last year at age 2 but had performed poorly in his first two starts this season. On Sunday, he settled toward the rear of the field before launching a serious rally under Maxim Guyon that left him a head short of victory.
Midtown, the Andre Fabre-trained Godolphin colt making his first start at age 3, raced solidly to finish third as the mile favorite, taking his first defeat after a pair of wins in 2020. Two more Godolphin colts, Naval Ground and Erasmo, were somewhat disappointing, finishing seventh and eighth as the second and third betting choices.
The race was run over a course listed as very soft, though the winner’s final time, 1:24.09, wasn’t far below par.
Laws of Indices is by Power out of Sampers, by Exceed and Excel.