O’Brien breaks Derby duck as St Mark’s Basilica romps away with Prix du Jockey Club
Aidan O’Brien landed one of the few major European races previously missing from his résumé when St Mark’s Basilica (Siyouni) ran out an impressive winner of yesterday’s Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m) at Chantilly.
The winner of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr 1, 1600m) bagged a second French Classic as he enjoyed a charmed passage from his low draw in stall two, the favourite stretching out under Iortiz Mendizabel in the closing stages to score by a length and three-quarters from outsider Sealiway (Galiway). Millebosc (Le Havre) flew home late to finish a short head behind the runner-up in third.
Carrying the same purple and white silks of Derrick Smith as Friday’s freakish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) winner Snowfall (Deep Impact), St Mark’s Basilica (3 c ex Cabaret by Galileo) was winning for the third successive time in Group 1 company, having won the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr 1, 7f) at Newmarket on his final start at two. His overall record now stands at four wins, a second and a third from seven starts.
He also becomes just the fourth horse to complete the French Guineas and Derby double since yesterday’s race was shortened in trip in 2005, joining Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway), Lope De Vega (Shamardal) and Brametot (Rajsaman).
“We were delighted with him the last day and obviously delighted today going up another couple of furlongs,” O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing.
“He relaxes and he quickens and he is a very easy horse to manoeuvre in a race. He is a very intelligent horse and to have the pace he has and to quicken, that is what makes him a special horse.
“He is out of a Galileo mare and by Siyouni and I think he has the qualities of both of them.
Mendizabal, who was capturing the race for a second successive year following his victory on the John Gosden-trained Mishriff (Make Believe) 12 months earlier, said: “This morning I spoke with Aidan and he was very confident.
“I came [to win] a little bit early but he was the best horse in the race, the only question was the distance. But that was no problem.
“For me he is a very good horse and he has a chance over further in another two or three months.”
A half-brother to O’Brien’s English 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner and subsequent Coolmore stallion Magna Grecia (Invincible Spirit), St Mark’s Basilica is the seventh foal out of the Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Cabaret, a Group 3 winner over seven furlongs at two, who herself is a half-sister to the Group 3-winning Drumfire (Danehill Dancer). Bred by Bob Scarbrough, he fetched 1.3million guineas when sold at Tattersalls Book 1 Sale in October 2019.
Siyouni, the perennial French champion sire, is available at Haras de Bonneval during the second semester of 2021 to cover mares on a southern hemisphere schedule at a fee of €100,000 (approx. AUD$157,230).