By Tom Frary
There was a short head between Tiberian and Doha Dream in the G3 Prix de Reux over this course and distance Aug. 6 and it was nip-and-tuck once again with the same outcome to this festival-closing feature. Never far off this standard, the bay who is Melbourne Cup-bound was second to Vazirabad (Fr) (Manduro {Ger}) in the 2015 Prix Chaudenay at Longchamp and filled the same position behind One Foot In Heaven (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G2 Prix du Conseil de Paris over a mile and a half at Chantilly in October. Returning to beat the subsequent G2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil winner Talismanic (GB) (Medaglia d'Oro) in both the Mar. 28 Listed Prix de la Porte de Madrid and May 8 G3 Prix d'Hedouville also over 12 furlongs at Saint-Cloud, he did too much on the lead before fading to seventh in that track's July 2 G1 Grand Prix.
Having made all in the Reux, on this occasion Tiberian was settled with two behind initially by Olivier Peslier. Keeping tabs on Doha Dream throughout, he allowed that rival first run and the lead once straightened for home but wrested the advantage passing the furlong pole. As they battled it out again, it was the Alain Couetil trainee who clung on to sign off his European campaign in perfect fashion. “Last time, with so few runners, I left tactics to Olivier and he made all but today I asked him to wait and get cover because he is better being ridden like that,” Couetil explained. “He has a good turn of foot and knows how to quicken, plus he loves fast ground and gives me the impression he is getting better and better. He enters quarantine in Newmarket Sept. 13 and two weeks later will fly to Australia for preparations for the Melbourne Cup.”
Tiberian's story is unusual, being a son of 2004 G3 Grosser Preis der Freien Hansestadt Bremen winner Tiberius Caesar who is a teaser at Haras du Logis who gets to cover one mare each year. It is the kind of quirky tale easily imagined in the papers after the upcoming Flemington highlight, but he showed here that he possesses the kind of class to be a major player in the race that stops a nation. His dam is the Listed Frankfurter Stuten-Meile runner-up Toamasina, a granddaughter of the listed-placed Marie de Beaujeu who produced the G1 Deutsches Derby-winning sire All My Dreams (Ire) and also the dam of the GI Beverly D. S. heroine I'm a Dreamer (Ire) (Noverre). She also has a yearling filly by Sri Putra (GB) named Sri Gril (Fr).
Sunday, Deauville, France
LUCIEN BARRIERE GRAND PRIX DE DEAUVILLE-G2, €200,000, DVL, 8-27, 3yo/up, 12 1/2fT, 2:44.68, gd.
1–TIBERIAN (FR), 132, h, 5, by Tiberius Caesar (Fr)
1st Dam: Toamasina (Fr) (SP-Ger), by Marju (Ire)
2nd Dam: Top Speed (Ire), by Wolfhound
3rd Dam: Marie de Beaujeu (Fr), by Kenmare (Fr)
O-Haras du Logis, Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock Ltd, Heiko Volz & Stefan Falk; B-Haras du Logis, Julian Ince, Stefan Falk & Heiko Volz (FR); T-Alain Couetil; J-Olivier Peslier. €114,000. Lifetime Record: 17-6-4-0, €361,600. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Doha Dream (Fr), 132, c, 4, Shamardal–Crystal Reef (GB), by King's Best. O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Ecurie Haras Bouquetot SAS (FR); T-Andre Fabre. €44,000.
3–Travelling Man (GB), 129, g, 4, Oasis Dream (GB)–Montare (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O/B-George Strawbridge (GB); T-Freddy Head. €21,000.
Margins: SNK, 1, 3/4. Odds: 4.50, 3.20, 5.30.
Also Ran: Savoir Vivre (Ire), Garlingari (Fr), Frontiersman (GB), Mille et Mille (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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