Wednesday 11 May 2022
Aga Khan Studs homebred VADENI looks a lively contender for next month’s Prix du Jockey Club, following an easy victory in the Gr.3 Prix de Guiche at Chantilly on Tuesday.
Already a Listed winner and Group-placed at two, the son of Churchill won by two-and-a-half lengths.
“The pacemaker [Kotari] did a great job and, watching the race, I was awfully confident,” said the colt’s trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. “VADENI was perfectly relaxed and that’s want you want with him.
“He’s not complicated, he just needs to be in the right rhythm and ridden from behind. In the [Gr.3] Prix de Conde last year, I feel that Christophe [Soumillon] put him in the race too soon and committed too early. He had run a good race in the [Gr.3 Prix de] Fontainebleau, that was just to get him going again and we already had this race in mind. I think it is the perfect prep for the [Gr.1] Prix du Jockey Club, nine furlongs before stretching to the 10 1/2 furlongs. I have won it many times, including with Almanzor, and the timing is perfect.”
VADENI is from the illustrious 'V' family of Gr.1 winners VADAWINA, VAZIRA, VALIXIR and VADAMOS. His dam VADERANA - who has produced four Stakes performers from six horses of racing age - visits SEA THE STARS for 2022.
Also at Chantilly, ZARAK scored another new winner when Sinbad Le Marin won the Prix de l'Hermitage. Bred by Gérard Ferron and owned by him in partnership with Pascal Dehaudt and trainer Stéphane Wattel, the three-year-old is out of Stakes performer Plaisanciere, who also has a ZARAK yearling filly.
