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Frankel and Invincible Spirit add new stakes winners and Hurricane Lane dominant in Grand Prix de Paris
74 for Frankel
Frankel (Galileo) sired his 74th stakes winner when Mehnah (3 f ex Asheerah by Shamardal) won the Cairn Rouge Stakes (Listed, 1m) at Killarney on Sunday. The Shadwell Stud homebred won by three quarters of a length over Emaniya (Sea The Stars) with a further length back to Thinking Of You (American Pharoah) in third. Mehnah was only having her third start and winning for the second time. Mehnah is a half-sister to Irish 2000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner Awtaad (Cape Cross).
135 for Invincible Spirit
Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) sired his 135th stakes winner when Babylone (3 f ex Typique by Galileo) won Prix de Malleret (Gr 2, 2400m) at Longchamp on Wednesday. The Andre Fabre-trained homebred came from near rear to run on well to take lead inside the final 100m and hold off Adhafera (Sea The Stars) by a neck with a further length and a half back to Ricla (Adlerflug) in third. Babylone is the first stakes winner for her unplaced dam Typique (Galileo) who is a daughter of Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr 1, 1400m) winner Denebola (Storm Cat) a daughter of Champion and Group One winner Coup De Genie (Mr. Prospector).
Hurricane Lane dominant in Grand Prix de Paris
Hurricane Lane (3 c Frankel - Gale Force by Shirocco) posted a dominant six length victory in the Grand Prix de Paris (Gr 1, 2400m) at Longchamp only 18 days after his Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f) victory. He is now equal favourite with Love (Galileo) at 11/2 for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) in October.
Hurricane Lane was given a confident ride by William Buick racing in second position following Coolmore’s pacemaker The Mediterranean (Galileo). He took over with 400m to run and showed a good turn of foot on the heavy track drawing right away to a six length victory over Wordsworth (Galileo) with a further length and a quarter back to Alenquer (Adlerflug) in third.
Buick said to the Racing Post: "It was a more straightforward race for me than in Ireland. We were better placed today and the ground was maybe a little bit kinder on him. But I think he's improved again.
"Credit to Charlie and the team at home to get him out of the Irish Derby. He had a hard race there and they were adamant this was a good target for him and they've been repaid.
"There have. In Ireland he showed a bit of a turn of foot. And then today, I know the ground is slow today but it's quite a quick track. You run downhill and then the straight is dead flat, there's no rise in it. He really picked up. He put it to bed really quick. He's improved again and he's just a very good horse."
Buick added: "Charlie will speak to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and they will make a plan for the horse. I would say one eye will certainly be back here in October."
Trainer Charlie Appleby said to the Racing Post: "Today’s performance has franked him as one of the best three-year-olds in Europe and he’s an exciting horse. As we always do we’ll allow the dust to settle but you would have to be thinking about him as a serious contender for the Arc.
"We’ll give him a bit of a break now because he’s run in an English Derby, and Irish Derby and then backed it up two and a half weeks later in a Grand Prix de Paris."
Appleby added: "He deserves to have a break but whether he can give himself a break is another thing. He ran in the Grand Prix because he'd come out of the Irish Derby so well.
"He has a great constitution, a great mind and he show his well being in the morning."
Hurricane Lane is out of Listed winning mare Gale Force who is a half-sister to British Champions Fillies’ & Mares’ Stakes (Gr 1, 1m4f) winner Seal Of Approval (Authorized). He was purchased by Godolphin from the draft of his breeder’s Normandie Stud from at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1.
