DANSILI’S SUN STRIKES AT LONGCHAMP
Taken from the EBN
Zambezi Sun put up an impressive performance to land his first Group race when powering home to win the Gr.1 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp by five lengths yesterday evening. Drama struck three furlongs into the race when Eagle Mountain (Rock of Gibraltar) unseated jockey Kieren Fallon during a tussle with the winner, clipping the heels of Sagara (Sadler’s Wells).
The conscious Fallon was stretchered off the course and taken to hospital as a precaution. Zambezi Sun’s rise has been very rapid. He won his first two starts in April, was fourth in the Gr.1 Prix du Jockey-Club last month and has now won a Gr.1 race. His sire DANSILI has made an equally impressive start to his stallion career – this was his second winner of this race – coincidentally sponsored by his owner – following Rail Link’s victory last year en route to his win in the Gr.1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
DANSILI’s dam, the brilliant broodmare Hasili (Kahyasi) almost came close to a double celebration. Her younger son, Champs Elysees, a full-brother to DANSILI, narrowly missed out in the Gr.2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil on the same card when he was beaten a nose by the German-trained Bussoni (Goofalik), who added the race to his back-to back wins in the Gr.3 Betty Barclay Rennen.
Guy Reed’s homebred Van Gosh (Peintre Celebre) won the Listed Prix de Thiberville, whilst Sheikh Mohammed’s Alexandros (Kingmambo) scored in the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure.
At Ascot, Cheveley Park Stud’s Cesare continued to progress, taking his first Group race when winning the Gr.2 Summer Mile Stakes. About to make his run up the far side rail, he was checked and had to go around his rival and fellow Royal Hunt Cup victor Royal Oath (Kingmambo) before he could get his challenge back on track. He accelerated smartly to catch his rival and win by a length and a quarter with the fellow Cheveley Park Stud owned Heaven Sent (Pivotal) in third.
The six-year-old son of the late Machiavellian has the Gr.2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood as his next likely target.
Impending motherhood seems to have done Our Little Secret the world of good as she took the Listed City Wall Stakes at Chester. The five-year-old daughter of Rossini took off like a scalded cat and just lasted home to collect her prize from the ever advancing Fathom Five (Fath).
The mare, who was bred by Camogue Stud and was bought for 2,200gns at Doncaster Bloodstock’s October Yearling Sale, is owned and trained by Jack and Alan Berry respectively. Our Little Secret is in foal to another speed merchant in Mind Games.
Zambezi Sun has made rapid progress in his four outings. He made his winning debut at the beginning of April where he beat Airmail Special (Peintre Celebre), who was fourth yesterday. Stepped up considerably, he ran with great credit when fourth to Lawman (Invincible Spirit) in the Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club.
He is a half-brother to the Gr.2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano winner Kalabar (Kahyasi) out of Imbabala (Zafonic). She won in France and is a half-sister to the Gr.3 Prix d’Hedouville winner Short Pause (Sadler’s Wells), Listed Prix de Bagatelle winner Cheyenne Dream (Dancing Brave; dam of the multiple Groupplaced Dream Chief and the Listed-placed Sky Quest) and Krisia (Kris; dam of the Gr.1 July Cup and Gr.1 Prix de l’Abbaye winner Continent). The second dam Interval (Habitat) won the Gr.2 Prix Maurice de Gheest and is a half-sister to the Gr.2 La Prevoyante winner Interim (Sadler’s Wells; dam of the Gr.1- placed Staging Post), Twixt (Kings Lake; dam of the Gr.2 Colonel F W Koester Handicap winner and sire Bon Point), Welcome Break (Wollow); dam of the dual Gr.2 winner and Gr.1-placed Invited Guest) and Interruption (Zafonic; dam of the Gr.2 Prix Robert Papin winner and Gr.1-placed Much Faster). The third dam Intermission (Stage Door Johnny) won the Cambridgeshire Handicap and is a daughter of broodmare legend Peace (Klairon).
Imbabala has a yearling colt by Kahyasi produced by Sortilegia (Sortilege), and is a full-sister
to fellow Stakes winner Duplicado and a half-sister toEscogido (Jadar).
Zambezi Sun captures Grand Prix de Paris; Fallon tumbles
Taken from the Thoroughbred Times Today
Controversial jockey Kieren Fallon suffered another blow in his up and down career at Longchamp on Saturday when he took a nasty looking fall off Eagle Mountain as favored Zambezi Sun captured the $827,720 Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-G1) by five lengths.
Zambezi Sun, a three-year-old DANSILI (GB) colt, took the race in easy fashion, although several of his rivals—especially third-place finisher Sagara—were hampered by the riderless Eagle Mountain on a French national holiday, Bastille Day.
Fallon, who has ridden two Group 1 winners since his return from a six-month ban for failing a drug test, ran into trouble shortly after the start of the 1.2-mile contest. Fallon tried to edge out Eagle Mountain—twice placed in classics this year with a second in the Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) and third in the Irish version—between Stephane Pasquier on Zambezi Sun and Thierry Thuilliez on Sagara.
Having engineered an opening, Pasquier came up beside him and the two horses appeared to touch. Fallon’s horse stumbled and Fallon was unseated and hit by two of the horses behind him. Axxos finished second, a neck in front of Sagara. Zambezi Sun covered the distance in 2:31.60.
Fallon was placed on a stretcher and taken to the medical room at the racecourse. After an examination at the track, he was sent to a local hospital for X-rays but later was released and returned to the jockeys’ changing rooms.
Eagle Mountain’s trainer, Aidan O’Brien, lodged an appeal against the riding of Pasquier and his part in Fallon’s fall. Thuilliez also lodged an appeal against the rider of second place German raider Axxos, Andras Starke.
While stewards took a long time poring over the video footage, they decided not to change the outcome of the race. Pasquier expressed his hope that Fallon was not seriously injured. “We were fighting for our place and he looked like he clipped the heels of the horse in front [Sagara],” Pasquier said. “I hope it’s nothing serious for Kieren.”
The Pascal Bary-trained winner hopes to next follow in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Rail Link, but for the same owner as this year’s winner, Prince Khalid Abdullah, who went on to win the 2006 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1).
Bary was extremely emotional following the announcement that the result would remain unchanged.
“The horse won so easily that it would have been an injustice if he had had the race taken away from him,” said a tearful Bary, whose charge had been very unlucky in the French Derby and finished fourth. “However, we were still nervous after viewing the film.”—Pirate Irwin
Date:
16 July 2007