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Treve captures French Oaks in course record time Haras du Quesnay's unbeaten Treve routed her rivals in Sunday's Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly to provide her owner-breeder-trainer family with a memorable success in this classic in which all the fancied runners flopped. While the bay daughter of Motivator had looked very promising when winning two-mile contests at Longchamp in September and at Saint-Cloud on May 15, she was facing some proven Group 1 performers here and her odds of 8-1 owed much to potential. Held up in rear early by Thierry Jarnet, she sliced through gaps on the inner to hit the front passing the quarter-pole and stretched clear from the errant Chicquita, scoring by four lengths and smashing the course record by two seconds when posting a final time of 2:03.77. "This is a dream come true," trainer Criquette Head-Maarek said. "It reminds me of my first Prix de Diane winner Harbour, who also carried these colors to success in 1982. She is a lovely filly with a lot of class and I know she was stepping up from a 'B' race to a Group 1, but she had been working impressively." Haras du Quesnay has been a major player on the French stage for decades now and the family's red silks have been carried by some high-class performers, but this success will carry extra weight as it is a direct advert for the establishment's new resident Motivator. Already enjoying a burgeoning reputation due to the exploits of last year's Prix de l'Opera heroine Ridasiyna, the 2005 Epsom Derby hero has another serious distaffer on his portfolio after Treve dominated this seemingly competitive classic. Led out unsold at a mere €22,000 at the Arqana October Sale in 2011, the homebred had continued to thrive since that rejection and made an instant impact in her September debut at Longchamp. Avoiding the traditional Pattern-race trials, she crept into Sunday's classic picture while enjoying her dress rehearsal in a conditions event at the former venue in the middle of last month and gave all the signals that she was ready for the jump in class. Positioned toward the back early by Jarnet, Treve saved vital ground on the rail as the likes of Flotilla and Esoterique over-raced without cover throughout the early stages. As Olivier Peslier moved Silasol out just ahead of her at the top of the straight, she was able to make a decisive strike between the fading pacemaker Sage Melody and Baltic Baroness as Flotilla failed to fire when committed by Christophe-Patrice Lemaire. Clear by the furlong-pole, it was left to Chicquita to chase, but the filly who had fallen last time made heavy weather of the pursuit by flashing her tail and veering left across the track. "Everyone has been congratulating me and I am so happy for the whole family -- it really is a family affair," Head-Maarek remarked. "My father unfortunately could not be here today, but he has done so much for us all and to offer him this Prix de Diane is a thrill. "She was the best I had in my hard last year and this, but each time I wanted to run her she had small problems including when she was lame before the Prix Saint-Alary. I decided to wait and when I said to Papa that I was going to run her in the Prix de Diane they thought I was a bit crazy, but sometimes you have to be. Two weeks ago, she worked amazingly and she had the perfect strong pace to run at which really suited her here. "Papa bought the granddam from Nelson Bunker-Hunt's dispersal and it was a fantastic family, so we bred her to Motivator as we like him and it was a good cross and it worked out very well. She is not in the Arc, but things change and we will see what we are going to do -- that can be sorted out. It is a little too early to decide on that and there are other races for fillies like the Vermeille and Opera, but she will definitely be rested until September. "She could stay in training next season, as that was only the third race of her life and she won't be over-raced this year. She is brand new. I have had some very good fillies in my yard, but she has a tremendous turn of foot and had to be good to win this. She will stay and her mother beat Six Perfections over six furlongs as a two-year-old here, so she was good too." Freddy Head, part owner of Treve and brother to Head-Maarek, added, "Criquette has been very bullish about this filly for a while, so I backed her idea to run and she has proven what a good trainer she is. She knows what to do with a good one like this and I am truly delighted for her." For 46-year-old Jarnet, who partnered Freddy Head's stable star Moonlight Cloud to three Group 1 wins over the past two years, the result was another boost in this later part of his career. "It is very sweet to win this race in front of a home crowd and I had the dream trip and was always confident," he said. "It looks like the old boy has life in him yet." Chicquita entered the race as the least exposed, but trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre was delighted with the outcome. "I don't know why she drifts like that, as she doesn't do it at home," he said. "She has talent whatever and has done very well to finish second in a classic, so we'll see what we do now." Following the French Oaks, Flintshire posted a three-length victory in the Group 3 Prix du Lys with Maxime Guyon in the irons for trainer Andre Fabre. Keen initially toward the front, the bay son of Dansili was eventually settled in fifth by Guyon and sent forward in early stretch as he extended his impressive stride. Taking control approaching the furlong-pole, the sophomore stretched clear from the perennial place-getter Park Reel to stamp real authority on the race. "He is a horse with class, but last time the ground was much too soft for him and this ground is the key to him," Fabre remarked after greeting his 15th winner of this prize. "This distance is also much better for him and he showed his true form. All being well, he'll go for the Grand Prix de Paris now." After showing abundant promise when winning a 10-furlong debutantes contest on ground officially described as good at Chantilly on May 7, Flintshire was runner-up to a potentially smart rival in Silver Trail over testing ground in a conditions event going 1 5/16 miles at Longchamp last out on June 1 Relishing this faster surface and step up to the Arc trip, the Juddmonte Farms homebred suggested he could be one to bear in mind for that autumn feature after he has taken in the July 13 Grand Prix de Paris en route at Longchamp. Fellow Juddmont Farms homebred Mainsail wrapped up the action at Chantilly on Sunday, scoring a 1 3/4-length victory in the Group 3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil (formerly Prix du Chemin de Fer du Nord). The Pascal Bary-trained four-year-old was able to enjoy an easy lead and turned that to his advantage for a career best. Setting soft fractions under Christophe Soumillon, the bay son of Oasis Dream wound up the sprint inside the final-quarter and after establishing a decisive lead was geared down late for a cozy score. "He had been rather unlucky both times this year and had shown his class last year, so he deserved that," Bary said. "Christophe gave him a great ride and it is possible he could run in the Group 3 Prix Messidor (at Maisons-Laffitte on July 7)." Off the mark in black-type company in the Prix Matchem going nine furlong at Maisons-Laffitte last June, Mainsail was second in the Prix Daphnis at Longchamp later that month before finishing off a light campaign with a seventh in the latter venue's Prix Daniel Wildenstein over a mile in October. He returned to be third in both the April 4 Prix Jacques Laffitte going nine furlongs back at Maisons-Laffitte and Prix de Montretout reverting to this trip at Longchamp last out on May 21. Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
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