The shattering loss of Wootton Bassett (GB) has been highlighted at Longchamp in France on Arc Day where the champion sire added two new Group I winners to his tally in 2YO colt Puerto Rico and the former Aussie owned 3YO colt Maranoa Charlie.
The Group I Prix de la Foret (1400m) featured a big field of 16 and Maranoa Charlie improved on two recent Group I placings to take his first win at the elite level.
Trained by Christopher Head and ridden by Aurelien Lemaitre, Maranoa Charlie led all the way to win by more than a length taking his overall record to six wins and two placings from 10 starts.
“Maranoa Charlie has been incredible. He goes in every ground, he can even go to the mile. With the loss of Wootton Bassett there is a possibility that the owner might put him as a stallion for next season, but he would be such a miler next year,” said Christopher Head.
Maranoa Charlie was bought originally for €220,000 at the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale by the Broadhurst Agency and ran first for Australian owners Peter Maher, Carl Fitzgerald and John Baxter, before his private sale to Bond Thoroughbreds earlier this year.
Bred by Haras D’Etreham in partnership, he is the first winner from Koubalibre, a winning half-sister by Galileo to Group I winner Tiggy Wiggy, who is now in Australia at Coolmore.
Her two year-old colt by Frankel was sold at Inglis Easter this year for $750,000 to Chris Waller Racing / Mulcaster Bloodstock and she has a St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) yearling colt to follow and is now back in foal to Maranoa Charlie’s sire Wootton Bassett.
The Group I Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (1400m) for the juveniles delivered a quinella for Wootton Bassett colts with the Aidan O’Brien trained colt Puerto Rico running out a dominant two and a half length winner over Nighttime.
Ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Puerto Rico took a while to break his maiden at his sixth start in the Group II Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last month, but has gotten a taste for winning since being stepped up in trip.
“I was probably running Puerto Rico over a little bit too short because he was showing us loads of speed. He ran over six furlongs up until Doncaster and that was his first run over seven and he won,” said Aidan O’Brien.
“He's a lovely, big, powerful, mature horse with loads of speed. The lads were thinking of the Breeders' Cup and they asked about ground, but Christophe said ground and trip would be no problem. I'd say he definitely could be one for the Juvenile Turf.”
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Puerto Rico is the first winner for Group II placed Galileo mare April Showers, a full sister to Champion 2YO and 3YO Filly Misty for Me, the dam of Group I winners Roly Poly and US Navy Flag.
Maranoa Charlie and Puerto Rico bring Wootton Basset’s tally of G1 winners to 18 and both of them are from daughters of Galileo. The nick has now produced 10 stakes-winners and four of them are Group I winners.
