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Irish-bred three-year-old The Gurkha is being hailed as a possible superstar after the Galileo colt smashed his rivals by more than five lengths in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) at Deauville.
This was just the third start for the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt, having only made his debut with a nine lengths win at Navan at the start of April, and was a performance that put a lid on talk that the season was lacking an outstanding three-year-old.
The Gurkha is now looked on as a serious contender for the Epsom Derby, with no reason to suggest that he will not stay the 12 furlongs in the classic.Certainly his pedigree suggests he will stay.
He is bred in the purple by dual Derby champion Galileo out of the Danehill Dancer mare Chintz, a G3 winner and dam of two previous winners.Chintz, a half-sister to the Arc heroine Solemia, is from Slew O’Gold mare Gold Dodger.
The Gurkha provided O’Brien with his fourth win in the French classic and the trainer paid tribute to the winner’s meteoric rise.“We always thought he was good, but last year he had colic twice and was not really trained and that is why we didn’t enter him in the top races early on,” he said.
“We had to supplement him for this. He has a lot of scope and speed and won like a top class horse.”Irish breeding and the Galileo influence was to the fore again in the Poule D’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) when La Cressonniere landed the fillies classic by a length.
She is by Le Havre out of Absolute Lady, a daughter of Galileo.The Haras de la Cauviniere-based sire Le Havre also produced the unbeaten Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Avenir Certain in 2014 for owners Gerard-Augustin Normand and Antonio Caro and their silks are also carried by La Cressonniere.
La Cressonniere provided trainer Jean-Claude Rouget with a third straight victory in the classic and fourth overall.Rouget also trained Le Havre, the French Derby winner in 2009.
La Cressonbiere’s dam Absolute Lady is from the Kris mare Lil’s Jessy, a daughter of Derby winner Mill Reef.Another Derby prospect emerged at Deauville when the Rouget-trained Mekhtaal won the G2 Prix Hocquart over ten furlongs for owners Al Shaqab by six lengths.
He is by Gilltown Stud's brilliant sire Sea The Stars who had a good weekend with his son Astronereus winning a G3 at Newbury.“He’s a very nice sort and will most probably go straight to the G1 Prix du Jockey Club at Chantilly on June 5,” Rouget said.
Mekhtaal’s dam is the G3 winner Aiglonne, who is making a name for herself as a producer courtesy of Democrate, who won Prix Hocquart eight years ago, and her G3 winner Aigue Marine.Aiglonne’s half-sister Gaily Tiara (Caerleon) produced the G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Germance (Silver Hawk) and is from the immediate family of the champions White Muzzle (Dancing Brave) and Almutawakel (Machiavellian).
Aiglonne also has a 2YO by New Approach and a yearling filly by Dawn Approach.Rouget’s outstanding Deauville meeting, staging the big G1 races transferred from Longchamp, continued on Monday when he won the G1 Prix Saint-Alary for Al Shaqab Racing with the Lope De Vega filly Jemayel.
She upset the favourite and previously unbeaten Camprock (Myboycharlie) by a head in the prestige 10 furlong race for 3YO fillies.Jemayel is by the French Derby winner and former shuttle sire Lope de Vega from Nawal, a mare by Homme de Loi from the No Lute producer Lute String.
Nawal is also the dam of Mast Track, a US G1 winner by Mizzen Mast, and the stakes winner Redbrook (Raven’s Pass).Jemayel is the second G1 winner by Lope De Vega, a former Patinack Farm shuttle sire.