High Chaparral’s Karaktar Takes the Prince d’Orange

Only eighth when favorite for Chantilly’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club when last seen at the end of May, Karaktar staged a winning return but did not do enough to earn a last-minute ticket to the upcoming Arc weekend. Sent off the market leader for that Classic on the strength of his authoritative 10 1/2-furlong wins in the Mar. 28 Listed Prix Francois Mathet at Saint-Cloud and Apr. 20 G3 Prix Noailles at this venue, the bay apparently slipped on the bend at Chantilly and had needed all of trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre’s famed patience to regain his form. Held up with two behind early, the homebred loomed large on the front end with Christophe Soumillon looking full of confidence with a quarter mile remaining. Gaining a slight edge over Sumbal soon after, the bay was made to fight by that rival all the way to the line and dug in to prevail as they drew clear of the remainder. “It’s nice to see him win on his comeback race, but you would have thought he would do so more easily,” his conditioner commented. “He is fragile and you cannot do too much work with him and he did not do enough there for us to run him again during Arc weekend. He needs a little more time and so we’ll think about the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris [at Chantilly Oct. 18] next.”

Saturday, Longchamp, France
PRIX DU PRINCE D’ORANGE-G3, €80,000, LCP, 9-19, 3yo, 10fT, 2:13.35, hy.
1–@KARAKTAR (IRE), 128, c, 3, by High Chaparral (Ire)
1st Dam: Karawana (Ire), by King’s Best
2nd Dam: Karaliyfa (Ire), by Kahyasi (Ire)
3rd Dam: Karliyka (Ire), by Last Tycoon (Ire)
O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan’s Studs SC (IRE); T-Alain de Royer-Dupre; J-Christophe Soumillon. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 7 starts, 4 wins, 2 places, €135,600. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sumbal (Ire), 128, c, 3, Danehill Dancer (Ire)–Alix Road (Fr), by Linamix (Fr). (€180,000 Ylg ‘13 ARAUG). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Aleyrion Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €16,000.
3–Not So Sleepy (GB), 128, g, 3, Beat Hollow (GB)–Papillon de Bronze (Ire), by Marju (Ire). O-Lady Blyth; B-Lord Blyth (GB); T-Hugh Morrison. €12,000.
Margins: NK, 7, 3. Odds: 1.80, 2.80, 10.00.
Also Ran: Incantator (Ger), Sainte Amarante (Fr), Noray (Fr), Inordinate, Royal Dolois (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.