By Sean Cronin
Al Wukair arrived to post for this vital Classic prep with a strong vibe behind him, mostly down to the dazzling impression he had made on his first two starts as a juvenile which were marked by a raw and almost casual brilliance. His performance during a facile debut success over this trip at Saint-Cloud in September had a touch of Montjeu about it, visually at least, and was followed by an authoritative 1 3/4-length defeat of Sunday's G3 Prix Vanteaux winner Gold Luck (Fr) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) in the Listed Prix Isonomy over a mile at Deauville in October. The winning margin only served to flatter that admirable half-sister to Goldikova (Ire) (Anabaa), who did not belong in his territory once he unveiled a killer turn of speed when the whip was applied in the race in which the aforementioned Montjeu first came to prominence back in 1998.
Slowly away here as he had been on both occasions in 2016, Al Wukair looked to be out of the mix entirely passing halfway as he became detached with last year's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner National Defense tanking to the front and past African Ride's pacemaker Oriental (Jpn) (Smart Strike). Given time to warm up by Gregory Benoist, the bay made up three lengths in the space of a furlong when delivered wide under hand riding, albeit still running notably greenly as Straight Right (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) tackled National Defense. Without a serious ask from his rider, the exciting Al Shaqab representative was able to take the measure of the latter passing the 100-metre mark and draw away to win with seemingly plenty to spare. “I expected him to be outrun early on and this was very good experience for him,” trainer Andre Fabre commented. “He will now definitely go to Newmarket for the [May 6 G1] 2000 Guineas.” National Defense's trainer Criquette Head-Maarek said of the runner-up, “I am very happy with him–he's done nothing wrong and will appreciate an extra furlong. I also think he is better around a turn than on a straight course, but as the [G1 Poule d'Essai des] Poulains is on Deauville's straight track we have no other choice. I am favouring Deauville over Newmarket.”
Andre Fabre prepped Pennekamp with a win in this in 1995 before he inflicted a narrow defeat of England's seemingly unbeatable Celtic Swing (GB) at Newmarket, while two years earlier his great Zafonic had been turned over by Kingmambo in a star-studded renewal of this race prior to turning the Guineas into a procession. He appears the chief threat to Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) at this stage, before the Craven and Greenham are played out, in what should make for a tantalising clash between the two legendary stables of Europe. His sire Dream Ahead's progeny have tended to be on the fast side so far and the dam Macheera was a miler for Robert Collet, while Al Wukair's half-sister Witches Brew (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) was listed-placed at a mile but that may have been as far as she wanted to go despite being by a stouter sire. Al Wukair looked as if he needed to step back up in distance here and that stamina undoubtedly comes from the second dam, the G1 Prix de Diane heroine Caerlina whose daughter La Nuit Rose (Fr) (Rainbow Quest) was third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas. She in turn is the dam of Tam Lin (GB) (Selkirk), winner of the GII Kelso H. and G3 Winter Hill S., and she is connected to the GII West Virginia Derby runner-up Souper Colossal (War Front), the G2 Kinko Sho winner Current Mirotic (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) and his G3 Kyoto Himba S.-winning half-sister Hikaru Amaranthus (Jpn) (Agnes Tachyon {Jpn}). The dam has a 2-year-old full-brother to Al Wukair named Dream Today (Ire) who sold for a mere 42,000gns to Mark Johnston Racing at Tattersalls October and a yearling filly by Charm Spirit (Ire).
Monday, Maisons, Laffitte, France
PRIX DJEBEL-G3, €80,000, MLF, 4-10, 3yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:23.03, gd.
1–@AL WUKAIR (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Dream Ahead
1st Dam: Macheera (Ire), by Machiavellian
2nd Dam: Caerlina (Ire), by Caerleon
3rd Dam: Dinalina (Fr), by Top Ville (Ire)
(200,000gns Ylg '15 TAOCT). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Gregory Benoist. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, €86,000. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–National Defense (GB), 128, c, 3, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Angel Falls (GB), by Kingmambo. (€280,000 Ylg '15 ARAUG). O-Sun Bloodstock SARL; B-Ecuries des Monceaux & Meridian International SARL (GB); T-Criquette Head-Maarek. €16,000.
3–African Ride (GB), 128, c, 3, Candy Ride (Arg)">Candy Ride (Arg)–Paiota Falls, by Kris S.. O/B-Wertheimer & Frere (GB); T-Carlos Laffon-Parias. €12,000.
Margins: 1, 2HF, SNK. Odds: 0.90, 2.00, 7.50.
Also Ran: Straight Right (Fr), Ajmal (Ire), Red Onion (GB), Oriental (Jpn). Scratched: So Elusive (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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