Major Cadeaux kicked off the european festivities by winning the Sandown Mile over Rob Roy...
Sunday was a good day for Ireland, starting of with Duke of Marmalade (left) finally breaking through in a Gr-I and after a winless 2007, winnig the Prix Ganay in an upset, holding off Germany's Saddex's late charge. Favorite Zambezi Sun was last.
Then his stablemate, champion Yeats successfully returned to the track and defended his title in the Vintage Crop Stakes, fighting off a spirited challenge down the stretch and holding off everyone gamely...
Finally, Oriental Tiger impressively won the Gerling Preis, leading from gate to wire for only his third career win. Favorite Alderflug was off the board...
The major European flat racing season kicks it up a notch this weekend with the first Gr-I event of the year, the Prix Ganay (4yo+, 2000m) at the Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, couple with the Gr-II’s Sandown Mile (4yo+, 1m+14yds) in Sandown Park Racecourse in Surrey, England and the Gerling Preis (4yo+, 2400m) at the Weidenpesch Racecourse in Cologne, Germany.
Sunday’s Prix Ganay features a number of returning top olders from Europe led by a number of ‘07 Gr-I winners, staring with France’s Darjina, the European 3yo Filly champion and second in Dubai’s Duty Free in her 2008 debut, multiple Gr-I winner Mrs. Lindsay, winner of the Prix Vermeille, and Zambezi Sun, winner of the Grand Prix de Paris, and Ireland’s Soldier of Fortune, the winner of the Irish Derby. Taking them on are a group of talented runners, France’s Loup Breton, winner of the Gr-II Prix d’Harcourt a couple of weeks back, as well as second place finisher Spirit One, Germany's Saddex, winner of last year's Gerling Preis, and Japan’s Red Rocks. Last year’s race was won by Dylan Thomas, who went on to win the Prix Arc d’Triomphe and be named European Horse of the Year.
(updated 4/24) - With final entries announced, Champion Darjina will bypass the Prix Ganay and will instead return in the Gr-I Prix d'Ispahan next month. Also bypassing the race will be Loup Breton.
Saturday’s Sandown is led by Medicine Path, who is coming off a sharp win in the Doncaster Mile and will probably be favored. But he will face a stiff challenge from graded stakes winner Rob Roy, returning to the races after a 9 month layoff,
Action closes with the Gerling Preis, led by German Derby winner Adlerflug, making his ’08 debut, being tackled by Oriental Tiger, winner of the Gr-III Grand Prix Aufgallop earlier in the month, and Gr-I placed Shrek .
On a side note, '07 European Stayer Champion , Ireland's Yeats, returns to action in the Vintage Crop Stakes (4yo+, 13f) at Navan racecourse on Sunday.
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