Al Shaqab Racing’s Al Wathna won the Prix de Malleret (Gr2) at Saint-Cloud, near Paris, France, yesterday.
In a slow-paced race, Gregory Benoist, the jockey on-board Al Wathna, decided to make his move coming into the straight. It was then down to the tough Al Wathna to reaccelerate at the end to hold off an attack from Impressionnist, second by a neck.
Do Re Mi Fa Sol, who sat last for a long time, finished very fast to take third place in the last few strides, in front of Mango Tango.
Al Wathna had finished second in the Prix de Royaumont (Gr3) in Chantilly last month and was supplemented into yesterday’s race.
“There was no pace, so I decided to take hold of the race and kick early,” Benoist said after the 2,400m race.
He added: “It was risky but it paid off. She is a classy filly, which she showed today, even though the race didn’t progress according to her liking.”
Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget was understandably happy with his ward. “She showed that she has plenty of stamina, and I think she could stay further. She hit the lead a bit early, and like a lot of good horses, she has a tendency to idle when in front, but her stamina and her toughness made up for it. She could run during the Qatar Goodwood Festival, but she will carry a penalty as a Group winner. If not, we will think about the Qatar Prix Vermeille.”