French finesse
Robin Oakley
One useful function of war is that it updates some of the old jokes, even those about chickens crossing the road. Post Iraq we have the George Bush version: 'We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road or not. The chicken is either with us or against us.' Then there is the Iraqi ambassador's version: 'The chicken did not cross the road. This is a complete fabrication. We don't even have any chickens.' And UN inspector Hans Mix: 'We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed access to the other side of the road to verify.' I am indebted to an Italian friend, however, for the best of the crop, the President Bill Clinton version: 'I did not cross the road with that chicken. What do you mean by chicken? Could you define chicken, please.'
After Thierry Thulliez's eccentric performance aboard Six Perfections in the 1,000 Guineas, some began to question, too, the point of French jockeys crossing the Channel. Just as well then to get a reminder from the young French star Christophe Sounnillon at Kempton last Saturday that there is real quality in the saddle over the other side of La Manche. Showing confidence and a fine judgment of pace when no one else was ready to make it, he led all the way to win with his first ride on the course, Barbajuan for Neville Callaghan. 'When someone as good as that is available you might as well use him,' said the Newmarket handler afterwards. He reckons Barbajuan will stay seven furlongs and is a nice-tempered colt who should go on to better things.
But Soumillon had really been brought over to ride the Aga Khan's Kalaman in the big race of the day, the lm Listed Pacemaker Heron Stakes, and here we saw a class performance from both rider and horse. Soumillon had the Desert Prince colt tucked in nicely in fourth or fifth place but when he asked his mount to quicken two furlongs out he did so decisively, sticking his head down and accelerating beautifully. Make no mistake, this is a class act and we will hear a lot more of Kalaman, another scorer for this year's Ten to Follow. Put him on your list now for Ascot. Trainer Sir Michael Stoute would have liked to have taken Kalaman to The Curragh for the Irish 2,000 Guineas but knew the going would not be suitable there.
All credit, though, to Paul D'Arcy, for ten years a work rider for Stoute, who scored the biggest success of his burgeon ing training career when Indian Haven took the Irish 2000 in the hands of John Egan. Training is not just about meticulous preparation, it is about judgment and confidence too. Only a few listened when D'Arcy and Egan insisted that the horse had failed to figure in the finish of the English 2000 only because he was twice nearly brought down in a rough race. Just another case of a small trainer aiming above his mark, said the know-ails. We heard had-luck stories about him in the Gimcrack too. But Paul D'Arcy knew he had a good colt. That was why he prevailed on his current three owners to buy him when a previous owner cashed in. And D'Arcy was so convinced of his colt's merit that he persuaded them to supplement him for the Irish race at a cost of 40,000 Euros. How right he was: the hefty Indian Haven not only beat four of the horses who had finished ahead of him at Newmarket but did so decisively. After the colt's victory in the Free Handicap last year the yard wore out the bottle opener and ran out of champagne, so there must have been quite some celebration this time.
Back at Kempton the surprise result was that of David Arbuthnot's Ringmoor Down in the Wokingham Trial Handicap Stakes over six furlongs. The horse started at 66-1 and paid 122-1 on the Tote. Less than gruntled was one member of the Kempton Executive who had given the trainer lunch without so much as a whisper that the horse might have a chance. In fact David Arbuthnot, too, was pleasantly surprised, having thought the ground too firm for the lightly raced Pivotal filly. Runner-up and finishing well was Mutawaqed, who made it something of a Lambourn benefit. Mutawaqed's trainer, the Swede Michael Magnusson, whose horses run in the blue and yellow colours of his native land, spent two years as assistant trainer to Arbuthnot before buying Kim Bailey's old stables and starting up on his own. Mutawaqed, too, used to be in the Arbuthnot yard.
Another impressive sprint winner was Nick Littmoden's Peruvian Chief, who took the Listed Achilles Stakes from John Dunlop's Vision of Night. Peruvian Chief is a splendidly consistent character who will now be aimed at the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot provided he gets the good to firm ground he and the runner-up both need. Note him down, too. He has won before on the Ascot track and is the sort who likes to come off the fast pace he will get there. Jockey Eddie Ahern jokingly asked if Peruvian Chief was fit, so big and burly was the six-year-old. Nick Littmoden reckons it is simply that he is stronger than ever this year.
Pleased to see Vision of Night, tried in blinkers, coming back to form, John Dunlop mused affectionately that the winner looked like an old hunter. He shares my affection for these tough old sprinters. 'At least you don't have to wrap them up in cotton-wool like the Classic contenders.'
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