Persian King picks winning thread right back up in Prix de Fontainebleau

Persian King ended his 2-year-old campaign winning the Group 3 Autumn Stakes in England and began his 3-year-old season with an easy front-running tally Sunday in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau in France.

Making his first start since being purchased over the winter by Godolphin but staying in the yard of trainer Andre Fabre, Persian King was a strong odds-on favorite to beat four foes and made his price stand up. Pierre Charles-Boudot let Persian King go to the lead in the one-mile Fontainebleau and his mount, racing with his ears pricked, never came close to being threatened. He dashed away from stablemate Epic Hero in the final furlong and won by five lengths going one turn over a Longchamp course rated good.

Persian King, from the first crop of Kingman and out of the Dylan Thomas mare, Pretty Please, now has won four times from five starts, his lone loss coming in his career debut when he finished second to the high-level colt, Anodor. Fabre was non-committal regarding Persian King’s next start, though the English 2000 Guineas could be considered.

Godolphin scored a second Group 3 success Sunday at Longchamp when the 3-year-old filly Castle Lady won the Prix de la Grotte by 1 3/4 lengths. Mickael Barzalona, riding for trainer Henri-Alex Pantall, engineered a perfect trip for Castle Lady, who tracked two leaders from third, made her move with about a quarter-mile to run, and won decisively, albeit in a time much slower than Persian King’s two races earlier on the card.

Longshots Imperial Charm and Epistrophy finished second and third, respectively, while favored Lily’s Candle, making her first start for trainer Freddie Head and first since a 12th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, turned in a disappointing performance finishing last.

Castle Lady, who now has won both her starts, is an American-bred daughter of Shamardal and the Elusive Quality mare Windsor County, and is from the same family as Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Raven’s Pass.

Fabre notched his second Group 3 one-two finish on the program in the Prix Noailles, another 3-year-old race, where Slalom was an impressive 2 1/2-length winner over favored Syrtis.

Slalom is a Wertheimer et Frere homebred by Intello and out of the Selkirk mare, Zagzig, a sister to the good racehorse (and stallion) Silent Name. Intello, another Wertheimer et Frere homebred trained by Fabre, won the Prix du Jockey Club in 2013, and connections have reason to hope Slalom can follow in his father’s hoofprints.

The Prix Noailles is contested over 1 5/16 miles, same distance as the Jockey Club (France’s derby), and Slalom, now 1 for 1 at age 3 after winning both his 2-year-old starts, made short work of Syrtis, who had been runner-up to subsequent BC Juvenile Turf winner Line of Duty in the Prix du Conde last fall. Jockey Maxime Guyon followed Syrtis into the Longchamp homestretch aboard Slalom, wheeled out from behind him with about 1 1/2 furlongs to race, and pounced on Syrtis at the furlong grounds, quickly drawing clear to win by 2 1/2 lengths. The apparently decent Surrey Thunder finished third, one length behind Syrtis.