Aristia upstages Aussie ace
THE spotlight was firmly on 2021 Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant as she made her European debut in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville yesterday, but it was Richard Hannon-trained Aristia who took the glory.
While the mare with 11 Group One wins in Australia was held up at the back and only made a short-lived effort before finishing last of the seven runners, Sean Levey always had Aristia at the front and she dug deep to beat Rosscarbery by a neck.
The result placed a massive question mark over the European adventure of Verry Elleegant, now trained in France by Francis Graffard and ridden by Frankie Dettori, fresh from his win on Trawlerman in Saturday’s Ebor Handicap at York.
Although Verry Elleegant would have to be supplemented to run in the Arc at Longchamp on October 2, Graffard had spoken of a tilt at the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes at Ascot on October 15 as she tried to bring her top-class southern hemisphere form to the other side planet.
But Hannon, whose high regard of Aristia was clear after the filly finished second to the classy Nashwa in Goodwood’s Nassau Stakes, can now plot towards some more big targets including the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day and that Fillies and Mares Stakes at Ascot.
Hannon said: ‘She is an extremely good filly and her owner Bunny Roberts is a great supporter of ours. She did it the hard way today. Sean gave her a lovely ride and it was his idea to make the running.
‘She can chuck in a bad run but she never surprises me how well she runs. Today was her day and we should be able to find another day for her.’
Hannon was left ‘gutted’ to miss out on a second Group One win at Deauville when Dettori-ridden Persian Force was beaten half-a-length in the Prix Morny by Aidan O’Brien’s Blackbeard.
It was a second big twoyear-old race win in France for Blackbeard, who took the Prix Robert Papin at Deauville last month, and the first Morny win for O’Brien since he took it with Johannesburg in 2001.
The colts clash again in the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket next month but the five-and-a-half furlong Juvenile Turf Sprint at the Breeders’ Cup in November is now on the cards for Persian Force with Hannon keen to utilise his innate speed.
lTHREE- TIME champion jockey Silvestre De Sousa signed off from riding in Britain with a win on Sir Oliver at Yarmouth.
The Brazilian is taking up a contract to ride in Hong Kong.