A brace of important prep races were run at Deauville on Thursday 6 April, the Gr.3 Prix Djebel a precursor to the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2,000 Gns), and the Prix Imprudence leading to the fillies’ version, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. 

Good Guess had shown considerable potential as a juvenile after having won his first two races over 1200m, and the Fabrice Chappet-trained colt duly confirmed his promise in the 1,400m Djebel with a maiden group success.

All eyes had been on André Fabre’s Gr.1 Jean-Luc Lagardère winner, Belbek, but it was not to be his day as his Chantilly neighbour took the plaudits. Ridden patiently by Stéphane Pasquier, the Kodiac colt got straight down to business on his first start of the season. Chappet said after the race, “He’s always been good and he set the record straight”, referring to last autumn’s Gr.3 Prix de Cabourg in which things did not quite go to plan. “He will go to the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.” Breizh Sky ran in for second, with Belbek third.

In the fillies’ equivalent, which attracted a bigger field of 14 (5 in the Prix Djebel), it was to be Anthony Crastus on outsider Showay who would hold off Gérald Mossé on Ritournelle in the final strides to claim a gutsy, but surprising, Gr.3 victory, in the process providing Crastus with his first group victory since July 2020.

Sauterne, race-favourite and stablemate of the winner, endured a difficult race, allowing the less-favoured fillies to express themselves. Ritournelle displayed considerable courage to come within a head, Spirit Gal running third a further two lengths back. Showay will now be aimed at the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, and trainer Patrice Cottier is hopeful, but not yet entirely confident, that a mile will not be too far.