Among the 77 horses entered in the five Group races of the first meeting of Royal Ascot, only two are French-trained and one, Australia owned - That horse is Plumatic.
Co-owned by Melbourne based businessman Ozzie Kheir, who earlier this year tasted success with Tagaloa in the Blue Diamond, he heads a syndicate of owners in the regally bred son of Dubawi.
Group 1 Bloodstock’s Mat Becker, who selected Plumatic and brokered the deal is thrilled, that despite a challenging year, Plumatic will still have his chance to shine down the Ascot mile in the prestigious Queen Anne Stakes.
“This is a dream of Ozzie’s to have a Group 1 runner at Royal Ascot, and he is a live chance. Joined by a very loyal bunch of co-owners this is what they are aiming for; to have runners in the major international race meeting around the world,” Becker said.
“We have sent our brilliant sprinters over there, but it is still quite a rare thing for Australians to have representation at arguably the greatest race meeting in the world.”
“It is so disappointing that this is a CoVid year, as all the owners would have made the trip, but they have a chance in a major Group one, and that’s certainly worth getting excited about and celebrating. It’s probably a good thing in a way, as Ozzie said that it might have saved his liver a few days of pain. Instead he will be keeping it low-key, watching it with the group at one of his bars.
Exceptionally, Kheir also has a second runner later in the week at the prestigious carnival.
“The excitement for Ozzie won’t stop after the first day, as the Hughie Morrison trained Le Don De Vie (Leroidesanimaux (BRZ)) will be running over 2400m on Friday,” Becker said.
“We purchased him from the sales as a hopeful replacement to the six-time Group winner Marmelo, the 2018 Melbourne Cup runner-up. With one win already claimed for the ownership group at Goodwood, there are high hopes for another.”
“Overall, this group aims to source quality horses internationally, and after an international campaign, head to Australia for the spring. It’s such a long process. Researching these horses takes months, years, and all the pieces of the jigsaw have to fit together. The horse’s form, the trainer, and in the case of racing this year, the ability to campaign them to get them there. It is a massive achievement.”
One of the most recent challenges we faced due to CoVid restrictions was that we needed a registered owner in France to allow Plumatic to race. So, through co-owner, Merricks Station’s Ben Cooper, he reached out to Gerry Ryan, already a registered owner in France through Americain. A great mate, he asked him to come on board, which is why the horse is racing in Gerry’s colours. It’s great to have him join the syndicate of Ozzie’s close friends and business associates, including Brae Sokolski, Brett Carty, John O’Niell, Stuart Lewin, Renato Pellicano and his brother Victor.
The French Advantage
Trained by young gun, Francis Graffard, he believes that France's head start over Britain and Ireland in the reopening of racing operations will be the key to success with his talented galloper.
A former winner of G2 Salisbury's Sovereign Stakes, Plumatic cruised into contention at his last start in the Prix Bertrand du Breil, claiming second behind the impressive Pretreville.
Being the first under the trainer’s name, it was a brilliant chance for Graffard to learn more about his galloper.
"He almost had too good a run into the straight, and Christophe Soumillon felt he probably got going too soon. As Plumatic has a short, sharp sprint on him, he will be ridden with that in mind at Ascot. It’s a stiff, straight mile and we hope that will play strongly into our hands. If the other horses are soft on fitness, that will be our advantage” Becker said.
“Being a six-year-old, the most important thing to take out of the race is that he now has race-fitness on his side, with most horses at Ascot being first up.”
“Plumatic had only three runs, including his Group 2 success last season, so being lightly raced, and an older horse, that run was vital to bring him to his top. Francis is pleased how he came through the run, saying he couldn’t be any better and he is heading to the UK in his very best form.”
With the UK government's 14-day quarantine scheme, unfortunately, Graffard cannot be in attendance himself at Ascot.
“Francis has a close friend and brilliant horsewoman, Kate Grimwade, who will take over the care and management once he arrives, ensuring he is lining up in the Queen Anne fit and well.”
“Francis has been a brilliant trainer for us. His communication has been outstanding from afar, and learnt as much as possible about Plumatic. The whole syndicate is delighted to start this association and it’s one we will continue to build on in the future,” Becker said.
And speaking of the future, the Melbourne Spring Carnival is still the ultimate target for Plumatic.
“All connections will reassess after Royal Ascot, and if all looks promising, Plumatic will travel over to Australia for the Spring Carnival and potentially look at a start in the Cox Plate,” Becker said.
“As he is currently campaigning over a mile, he will need to be in good enough form, and ready to step up to the 2040m, but it’s exciting times ahead.”
