France: Marhaba Ya Sanafi upsets, Blue Rose Cen notches fourth straight on Guineas Day
Marhaba Ya Sanafi and Blue Rose Cen provided the long and short of it on Guineas Day on Sunday at Longchamp.
After Marhaba Ya Sanafi had scored a 26-1 upset in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Blue Rose Cen came through as the odds-on favorite in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches for 3-year-old fillies.
Blue Roce Cen provided a first classic race win for trainer Christopher Head and jockey Aurelien Lemaitre. Head is the son of former jockey and trainer Freddie Head, nephew of retired trainer Criquette Head-Maarek, and grandson of the late, great trainer Alec Head.
Lemaitre gave the filly, the 3-5 favorite, a perfect ground-saving trip, tracking pacesetter Sauterne from third before finding running room in upper stretch, Blue Rose Cen going on to a 1 3/4-length win. Lindy closed well to get second by 1 1/4 lengths over Sauterne as Blue Rose Cen clocked 1:38.24, quicker than the Poulains winning time, over a very soft course.
Blue Rose Cen now has won four in a row, captured two Group 1s, and is 6-1-0 from eight starts. By Churchill out of Queen Blossom, by Jeremy, she’s bound for the Prix de Diane, the French Oaks, as is Lindy.
Marhaba Ya Sanafi was a big price for a horse who had not done a lot wrong in four previous starts. He’d been a well-beaten second behind American Flag last month in the Prix de Fontainebleu, and did benefit when American Flag, the odds-on favorite in the Poulains, dwelt at the start, losing all chance. Under Mickael Barzalona, Marhaba Ya Sanafi got a favorable one-out, one-back trip, peeling out to make his run with five-sixteenths of a mile remaining. He closed steadily and ran down English invader Isaac Shelby to win by a head. Breizh Sky, another longshot, finished third as American Flag finished well for fourth after his terrible start.
Marhaba Ya Sanafi clocked 1:38.56 for the mile and could remain at the distance and go to the St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, but a more likely target is the Prix du Jockey Club, the French Derby, over 1 5/16 miles. Marhaba Ya Sanafi is by Muhaarar out of Danega, by Galileo, and is trained in France by German expatriate Andreas Schutz.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.