By Tom Frary
Successful on her third start when taken to the Polytrack surface at Pau in late December, La Sardane finished runner-up to the subsequent G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches fourth Wajnah (Fr) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) in a conditions race over this trip at Bordeaux-le-Bouscat Mar. 5 before running ninth a fortnight later in the Listed Prix la Camargo at Saint-Cloud. Runner-up to Senga in the G3 Prix de la Grotte over this course and distance Apr. 16, she arrived here a fresh filly and duly reversed form with that rival to cause an upset. In second early under Franck Blondel, the bay was travelling much the best halfway up the straight and after taking control with 300 metres remaining asserted for a ready success with no excuses for those in behind.
La Sardane looks set to attempt to become the latest in a long line of French expats to prospect for gold Stateside as Team Valor's Barry Irwin explained. “My trainer in California Neil Drysdale and his wife Shawn Dugan advised me on this filly and sent me pictures and I looked at the form. She is a gorgeous-looking filly and so we decided to go for it,” he said. “The trainer has done an amazing job with her since the Prix de la Grotte and now the plan is to send her to California for the GII San Clemente H. at Del Mar July 23 and then a month later go for the [Aug. 19] GI Del Mar Oaks.” The Wertheimers's racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureaux said of Gold Luck, “We know now what her best trip is and ten furlongs was too far in the Saint-Alary. She has run an excellent race today and we know what to do now. We will try a group 1 over a mile if she comes out of this okay. It could be the [July 9 G1 Prix] Jean Prat against the colts here, or we could wait for the [G1 Prix de] Rothschild [at Deauville July 30].”
La Sardane is out of a listed-placed half to the Listed Criterium du Bequet-winning Milanais (Fr), whose second placing in the G1 Grand Criterium assured him a career at stud, as well as Veneto (Fr) (Panis) who was a short-neck second to Lucayan (Fr) (Turtle Bowl {Ire}) when 50-1 for the 2012 G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. Foresta's unraced 2-year-old colt by Air Chief Marshal (Ire) is named Montgaroult (Fr).
Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DE SANDRINGHAM-G2, €130,000, CHY, 6-4, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:39.79, g/s.
1–#@LA SARDANE (FR), 123, f, 3, by Kingsalsa
1st Dam: Foresta (Fr), by Forestier (Fr)
2nd Dam: Milanaise (Fr), by Marignan
3rd Dam: Ecluse (Fr), by Morespeed (GB)
O-Team Valor International; B-SCEA Plessis & Jean Guillemin (Fr); T-Bruno de Montzey; J-Franck Blondel. €74,100. Lifetime Record: 7-2-3-2, €107,700. Werk Nick Rating: First SW from this cross. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”shawn-dugan-recommended-purchase”]2–Gold Luck (Fr), 123, f, 3, Redoute's Choice (Aus)–Born Gold, by Blushing Groom (Fr). O/B-Wertheimer & Frere (FR); T-Freddy Head. €28,600.
3–Senga, 123, f, 3, Blame">Blame–Beta Leo, by A.P. Indy. O-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd; B-Flaxman Holdings Ltd (KY); T-Pascal Bary. €13,650.[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]Margins: 1, NK, 3/4. Odds: 22.80, 2.30, 2.40.
Also Ran: Speed As (Fr), Heuristique (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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