FRENCH FRIED
Qemah and Brivido turn up heat
QEMAH and Le Brivido made it a glorious double for France at sun-baked Royal Ascot yesterday.
Qemah, winner of the Coronation Stakes at last year’s meeting, again showed her liking for the course when taking the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.
Given a patient ride by Gregory Benoist, she showed her superior class when proving too strong for Aljazzi with Usherette taking third place.
“Congratulations must go to the filly, jockey and the staff at home including her lad Jerome, who does a wonderful job with her,” said winning trainer Jean Claude-Rouget.
Change
“I was happy to see her before the race today because she looked a different filly from Lingfield last time (when she ran too free when second to Mix And Mingle) – there was a big change in her.
“She will now go to Deauville for the Prix Rothschild and then certainly the Matron Stakes after that.”
Harry Herbert, representing winning connections Al Shaqab, said: “She was much calmer today and much more settled.
Gregory said she was the same filly this year as when she won the Coronation Stakes.
“She is high-class and as a Group One-winning filly running in here without a penalty, she should have been winning this.
“She needed her run at Lingfield last time to get the buzziness out of her, so it’s very exciting.
“It was fantastic viewing. The conditions of the race suited her. She still had to do it on ® the day but she was very impressive.” Benoist, also in the saddle last year, said: “She ran like she did last year.
“Today with the good ground and pace in the race, she was ready. We are very happy to win two times at Royal Ascot with her.”
It is not known if Andre Fabre is a fan of Poldark but he was happy to receive the winning trophy from Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson who plays Poldark’s wife in the BBC series) after Le Brivido stormed home in the Jersey Stakes.
Sent off the well-backed favourite, on account of his second in the French 2,000 Guineas behind Brametot, he arrived late in the hands of PierreCharles Boudot to catch Spirit Of Valor in the dying strides.
Imagine
Fabre, celebrating his ninth winner at Royal Ascot, said: “It was exciting because he looked beat with half a furlong to go but he showed his class.” “He is a very good horse. On paper this looked the perfect race, coming back to seven furlongs at a stiff track and that’s how it worked out. “We weren’t sure if he quite stayed a mile but it doesn’t look like it will be a problem going back to that trip now. I imagine the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville will be a possible target. “He looked beaten with a furlong to go, but he showed his class to come back and beat the other horse. His action was really good. “Royal Ascot is special to anybody.”