Christophe Soumillon sent Thesecretadversary (right) straight to the front and made all, holding off True Love to win the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat at Deauville by a half-length. (Scoop Dyga)
Breandán Ó hUallacháin
Thesecretadversary (5/1) followed up on his recent Royal Ascot win with success in the Group 1 Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, France, on Sunday.
Trained at Thomastown Castle in County Tipperary, Ireland, by Fozzie Stack, son of Tommy, the former jumps jockey and rider of the three-time Aintree Grand National-winning Red Rum, Thesecretadversary was stepping up from the Group 3 Jersey Stakes to Group 1 company today.
The race included the winners of two Guineas – True Love and Rayif – with the winner of the Betfred 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, England, True Love, starting the race as the punters’ choice.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly was towards the rear of the field for much of the seven-furlong colts’ and fillies’ race.
In Charge From The Gates
A three-year-old son of Coolmore Stud’s St Mark’s Basilica, Thesecretadversary dominated the race from the gates as Belgian jockey Christophe Soumillon kept the colt along the rail.
Thesecretadversary and Soumillon dictated the fractions throughout, and the usually headstrong colt settled well in the Belgian jockey’s hands.
With challenges coming from True Love (13/8 favourite) and Nightime (8/1), the eventual runner-up and third placer respectively, the chestnut Thesecretadversary held on for a half-length victory.
A Coolmore and Cayton Park Stud-bred, he is owned by Cayton Park Stud and Mrs John Magnier, with the latter also owning True Love, a daughter of No Nay Never.
The Ryan Moore-ridden filly finished a head in front of the daughter of Wootton Bassett, Nightime, who in turn had a neck to spare over Samanagan at the winning post.
Rayif, winner of the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) earlier in the season, was the disappointment of the race, managing only fifth place, more than two lengths behind the Irish-trained winner.
“He Carried It Out To Perfection”
Fozzy Stack, who had two winners at Royal Ascot last month, gave his reaction to Sky Sports Racing after Thesecretadversary’s victory.
“We thought he’d run well, but he came here taking on two Guineas winners, especially one who doesn’t live too far away from us (True Love, who is trained at Ballydoyle),” Stack said.
“Christophe asked did I mind if he made the running because he didn’t envisage any pace in the race. I told him not to fight the horse and don’t get beat! He carried it out to perfection.
“He has a great constitution and he’s very tough and honest. We trained his grandmother, she was a sprinter, and a lot of the family have been sprinters, so maybe he’s reverting to type.”
Reacting to his French Group 1 win, Fozzy Stack, who took the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks with Aspen Grove in 2024, admitted:
“If you said to me a month ago, I’ll have two Royal Ascot winners and a Group 1 winner in Deauville, I’d have said ‘stop, will you’, so it’s amazing.”
“A Superb Horse” says Soumillon
French-based Belgian rider Christophe Soumillon, who rode the winner on Sunday told media after his victory:
“Thesecretadversary is a superb horse. He’s tough and very straightforward to ride. The other day at Ascot, he was already beating some very good horses. He had also suffered from several troubled trips earlier in his career, but we knew that certain racecourses perhaps didn’t suit him perfectly. When I saw this straight course on a flat track, I thought he would be capable of running a very big race.”
Discussing prospective races for the remainder of the season for Thesecretadversary, Fozzy Stack explained: “He holds entries in the City of York Stakes, a Group 1 at York, as well as the Sprint Cup at Haydock. I will now discuss the options with the owners to see what they would like to do. Both partners are involved in the stallion business, so I will partly be guided by their long-term objectives.”
