Three weeks after his success in the Abu Dhabi Poule d’Essai des Poulains, Al Shaqab Racing’s Brametot won the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Group 1) at Chantilly yesterday.
Under Italian jockey Cristian Demuro’s ride, Brametot started slowly like he is used to. He still had a lot of lengths to make up over the first ones in the home straight. He came on from the outside and passed his rivals one by one to finally win by a short head in front of Waldgeist, ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot, at the post. Recoletos, helmed by Olivier Peslier, completed the podium.
“This is amazing, amazing,” exclaimed Brametot trainer Jean-Claude Rouget.
“Like in the Poule d’Essai, we beat an André Fabre-trained colt, who is a reference in our job. I nearly did not run this race, but Churchill scared me in the St James’s Palace Stakes. So we tried, but between trying and succeeding, there is a difference! And it is even more wonderful after the virus that affected my barns. We were lucky that neither Brametot nor Mekhtaal were in this barn.”