His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Khalifa al-Thani’s Big Five and Weetamoo landed huge wins in Saint Cloud and Bordeaux respectively.
Frankel colt Big Five maintained his unbeaten record by proving a clear winner of the Prix Gay Mécèn, a class 1 race run over 2,400m for three-year-olds at Saint-Cloud yesterday.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and ridden on this occasion by Olivier Peslier, Big Five won cosily after leaving Baratin three lengths in his wake. Big Five’s previous two career outings were at Clairefontaine and Compiègne, clearly relishing the heavy going.
Bred by Al Shahania Stud, Big Five’s dam is the Group 3-placed Louvain. She already produced two black type winners, including the champion Flotilla, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (Group 1) and the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Group 1).
At Bordeaux, homebred Weetamoo made a winning debut in Prix de Pomerol, a race for unraced juvenile fillies over 1,900m yesterday.
The Philippe Sogorb-trained runner enjoyed a good trip, having sat on the heels of the leaders, and showed commendable courage by reeling in Midnight Special (Muhtathir) at the wire to win by a short head with Anthony Crastus in the saddle.
Weetamoo is a daughter of Le Havre and the German mare Wild Silva. The latter was placed at group level and is a sister of Wild Coco, who herself was a Group 2 winner and placed in the Prix Vermeille (Group 1).