Prince To Wear Italian Crown?

The Premio Roma will bring down the curtain on the European Group 1 season this afternoon at Capannelle with six Group 1 winners lined up. French raider Prince Gibraltar (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), a Group 1 scorer at two, added the G1 Grosser Preis Von Baden to his record Sept. 6 and–after he ran better than the bare form shows when seventh in the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe–was simply outrun by Ito (Ger) (Adlerfluger (Ger)) when second in the G1 Grosser Preis von Bayern seven days ago. “He is a strong horse and recovers quickly after his races,” trainer Jean-Claude Rouget noted. “Prince Gibraltar traveled straight from Munich to Rome, with a stop at Lyon. Last time he found the pace scenario against him and got beaten by a good horse. I hope the pace will be strong.”

Two of the three Italian Group 1 scorers–the defending champion Priore Philip (Ity) (Dane Friendly {GB}) and Refuse To Bobbin (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire})–showed little this season but the other, Dylan Mouth (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), snatched his second Group 1 in June when he trotted home in the Gran Premio Di Milano and was not disgraced when second to the German Lovelyn (Ger) (Tiger Hill {Ire}) in the G1 Gran Premio Del Jockey Club, over very heavy ground, Oct. 18. German raider Guiliani (Ire) (Tertullian) pinched his Group 1 in July, outkicking a moderate field in the Bayrisches Zuchtrennen. He failed to confirm that form in his subsequent two starts but the “fast” 2000 meters of Capannelle could play for him. The Brazilian Energia Davos (Brz) (Torrential) was a champion in his native country at three. He has shown in-and-out form since moving to Europe in 2012, but found some of old sparkle when landing the G3 Darley S. for new trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam Oct. 10.