Voix du Nord established himself as the early favorite for the French Derby with a three-length score over Cherry Mix in the Group 2, $126,000 Prix Noailles at Longchamp on Sunday.
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DRF Past Performances
The road to the French Derby begins at Longchamp on Sunday with Voix du Nord heading a field of nine in the Group 2 Prix Noailles.
Voix du Nord was last seen winning the 1 1/4-mile Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on Nov. 8. Trained by David Smaga, he looks like an improving sort who should have no trouble with the Noailles' 11 furlongs. Christophe Soumillon takes the reins from Dominique Boeuf, who will be aboard the undefeated Malevitch.
NEW YORK - "Godzilla returns" trumpeted the American sporting press as Hideki Matsui made a glorious re-entry into the hearts of his faithful Japanese followers last week when the New York Yankees took the field at the Tokyo Dome. Many stateside scribes blithely declared the Yankee leftfielder to be the most popular athlete in Japan, and indeed, he is on the verge of becoming a national treasure in the Land of the Rising Sun.
But probably none of those baseball writers has ever heard of Yutaka Take.
Jockey Kieren Fallon was charged Wednesday by the British Jockey Club of violating the group's rule prohibiting acting in a manner prejudicial to the sport's "integrity and good reputation."
The charges came as a result of a Jockey Club investigation into allegations that the rider had met with reporters from a British tabloid shortly before he blew a 10-length lead aboard his mount, Ballinger Ridge, in a maiden race at Lingfield Park on March 2. Ballinger Ridge was caught on the line by another horse, Rye.
Whipper was so impressive winning the listed Prix Djebel at Maisons-Laffitte last Wednesday that Ladbroke's has cut his odds for the 2000 Guineas from 25-1 to 12-1.
A Kentucky-bred son of Miesque's Son who sold for just $4,000 as a foal, Whipper zoomed to an eight-length victory over Red Mo as the 3-10 favorite. Trained by Robert Collet and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Whipper covered the straight seven furlongs on holding ground in 1:28.70, or 3.50 seconds faster than Onda Nova ran winning the Prix Imprudence, the filly equivalent of the Djebel.
Vangelis scored the first Group 2 triumph of his career at Longchamp on Sunday when he won in a solid field of older horses in the Prix d'Harcourt.
Vangelis rallied to defeat Execute by three-quarters of a length, getting the 1 1/4 miles on good-to-soft ground in 2:02.60. Sent off at 9-1, Vangelis gave trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre his fourth Harcourt victory.
Weightless, favored with entrymate Short Pause at 11-10, finished last of eight after setting the pace, beaten 6 1/2 lengths.
Twenty seven years after he saddled Red Rum to win his third Grand National, trainer Ginger McCain won the race again, as his 16-1 chance Amberleigh House swooped late at Aintree racecourse to land the $643,800 first prize.
Always a vociferous fan of the 12-year-old Amberleigh House, McCain, 73, had felt for some years this was his best chance of another win in the famous race.
The Prix d'Harcourt, the first Group 2 race of the season in Europe, has drawn an intriguing field of nine older horses at Longchamp on Sunday, five of them Group 2 winners.
Policy Maker, placed first in the 1 9/16-mile Grand Prix de Deauville last August over last Saturday's Dubai Sheema Classic winner, Polish Summer, is the likely favorite. Trained by Elie Lellouche, Policy Maker, a Sadler's Wells 4-year-old, will be making his first start since finishing 10th in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on Oct. 5.
American Post cruised to victory in his seasonal debut at Saint-Cloud on Wednesday, serving notice that he has retained the form that propelled him to a pair of juvenile Group 1 triumphs last fall.
In winning the listed Prix Omnium II by four lengths over Joursanvault, American Post, trained by Criquette Head-Maarek, delivered the goods as advertised at skimpy odds of 3-10.