Godolphin out of luck in French Derby

Dubai: Favourite Intello was an easy winner of the Pris de Jockey Cup (French Derby) at Chantilly on Sunday as winning trainer Andre Fabre was narrowly denied a one-two finish in the historic race when stable companion Sky Hunter was narrowly beaten to third.

Intello, the mount of Olivier Peslier, more than compensated for his defeat in the Poulains (French 2000 Guineas), winning handsomely by two lengths from Morandi, ridden by Christophe Soumillion, with Maxine Guyon, a neck back in third aboard Godolphin-owned Sky Hunter.

It was a third French Derby success for Fabre in a race where Jim Bolger was hoping for a change of luck following the defeat of Dawn Approach on Saturday in the Epsom Derby, as his first string Loch Garman was well beaten.

Peslier was full of praise for his winner and said: “He is a very good horse who has stamina and speed. The race went as planned, I positioned him where I wanted to and he quickened nicely when I asked him.

“Considering what he beat at Newmarket [in the Feilden Stakes, where Newmarket 2000 Guineas second Glory Awaits was third] he certainly is one of the best three-year-olds around, if not the best three-year-old.

“I think he will stay a mile and-a-half, but don’t forget there is a lot of speed on his dam’s side,” he said.

“I didn’t ride him in the French 2000 Guineas because I thought that Anodin, who is a more difficult horse to ride than Intello, would have more speed.

“Intello did extremely well in the French Guineas from a bad draw. He is a very easy horse to ride and I think he has a great future.”

Commenting on Sky Hunter’s performance, Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said: “Sky Hunter ran very, very well. We are very pleased with his performance as he has acquitted himself well. There is plenty to look forward to in the second half of the season. The ground had dried out a bit too much for him today.

“There are no specific targets at the moment but he will stay further and a mile and a half will give him further options.”

Bolger said of Loch Garman: “It didn’t happen today. He got a number of cuts, so I have to look after that and he will be off for a while.”

Britain’s Hayley Turner made history by becoming the first lady to have a ride in the French Classic but could only finish 13th of 19 on the Jo Hughes-trained Glacial Age. Turner said: “We had a bad draw and it didn’t suit him at all to be ridden like that.”