Gstaad lost his unbeaten record in Sunday’s €350,000 Prix Morny but Aidan O’Brien’s Coventry Stakes hero did his reputation little harm when finding only Venetian Sun too good in the Deauville Group One.
Forced to miss the Phoenix Stakes earlier this month, Gstaad looked a little rusty in a vintage looking Morny renewal and ultimately ran out of ground in the final strides when closing to within a neck of the winner.
Instead, the sole filly in the contest maintained her own unbeaten record and delivered jockey Clifford Lee a first success at the top level.
Her trainer Karl Burke won the six-furlong highlight once before with Unfortunately (2017) and the Yorkshire trainer looks to have another top-class filly following in the footprints of Laurens and Fallen Angel.
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“She’s a superstar filly. I’ve been saying for a while she’s a special filly and I think she has proven that today.
“The whole race went exactly how we thought and hoped it would, and Cliff got her in a lovely rhythm. She’s so relaxed and once she’s in behind she falls asleep and then she’s got that electric turn of foot,” said Burke.
“It’s a first Group One for Clifford, he probably should have won the German Derby last month [on Convergent] but just missed out, so I’m delighted for him as well.
“I’ve been very lucky to train a lot of good fillies like Quiet Reflection, then Laurens and Fallen Angel, but at this stage of her career she would be way ahead of them.
“She’s doing things on the gallops at home that a two-year-old filly should not be doing and then she goes and keeps winning as well,” he added.
Irish fans can look forward to seeing Venetian Sun in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at next month’s Irish Champions Festival. The daughter of Irish-based first-season sire sensation Starman was also cut to 6-1 favourite by some firms for next year’s 1,000 Guineas.
“She’ll be better with easier ground. I was very worried when I walked the ground earlier, it’s as quick as I’ve known it here and I’ve been coming for a number of years now. That dampened my confidence,” admitted Burke.
“She’ll be better over an extra furlong as well, I’m convinced of that, so we’ll go for the Moyglare next and see where we go from there. It will tell us if she’s a Classic filly but she’s got to prove it.”
It was a frustrating afternoon in Normandy for the Ballydoyle team as Bedtime Story managed only fifth in the Group One Prix Jean Romanet.
The French Oaks runner-up was on the rail turning into the straight but Ryan Moore couldn’t secure a run in time to launch a challenge and couldn’t disrupt what was ultimately an all-French finish.
Christophe Soumillon once again worked his Group One magic at Deauville this summer on board Quisisna who proved too good for Survie and Grand Stars. Trainer Francis Henri Graffard didn’t rule out a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October for the winner.
O’Brien had better joy in Goodwood on Sunday where Precise landed a Group Three success in the Prestige Stakes, the Irish raider proving too good for the local favourite Moon Target. It continued a successful weekend for jockey Wayne Lordan who enjoyed a Group Two double at the Curragh on Saturday.
“We always thought she could win her maiden at six and then go up in trip, but as it happened she won her maiden at seven. She has pace and what you like about her, is when I get down into her she gets seven quite well,” said Lordan.
“She looked comfortable and when I hit the front about a furlong out she pricked one ear. So she was hanging on to a little bit, which is always a nice sign as it shows she wasn’t doing the full limit.”
Separately, there is a jump racing double-header in Ireland on Monday with Downpatrick’s programme on a UK bank holiday.
Perhaps the most intriguing runner though is in Ballinrobe where Steps In The Sand has a first start over flights since May in a handicap hurdle.
Ciarán Murphy’s mare has been on a roll since then on the flat, winning her last three starts, including at the Galway festival. Prior to that she’d also won at Ballinrobe last month.
Steps In The Sand previously won twice over flights for Cian Collins last summer and lines up on Monday off a slightly lower mark than the last of them.
The high-class hurdler King Of Kingsfield also won in Galway and Gordon Elliott looks to have found him a suitable follow up opportunity in a conditions chase.
Ted Walsh’s Ta Na La made headlines on her first start over fences at Wexford in May when banned for 60 days under ‘non-trier’ rules. Jockey Shane O’Callaghan was suspended for 14 days too. Ta Na La jumped notably well at Wexford and could prove too good for Palemon.
