Goken Half Brother Impresses in Saint-Cloud Maiden

Hurricane Cloud had one of the strongest pedigrees in the field for the Prix Kashmir II, a one-mile maiden for unraced 3-year-olds at Saint-Cloud May 12, and he lived up to his genetic potential with an impressive victory.

Guy Pariente's homebred, trained by Pascal Bary and partnered on debut by Pierre-Charles Boudot, made stealthy headway along the rail and surged clear close to home.

He scored by 1 1/4 lengths from the Kingman colt Westeros, with Whaze, a son of New Approach and U.S. grade 2 winner Sarach, three lengths behind in third.

The reason Hurricane Cloud stood out on paper, and was sent off a hot favorite on the pari-mutuel, is that he is a Frankel half brother to dual group 3-winning sprinter and King's Stand Stakes (G1) third Goken.

Goken now stands alongside his rags to riches sire Kendargent at Pariente's Haras de Colleville in Normandy.

He has his first 2-year-old runners this year and has a handful of early representatives entered at Chantilly May 13—La Neva, Livachope, and Tortola in the Prix de la Reine Blanche for unraced fillies over five furlongs, and Axdavali in the Prix d'Orgement for unraced colts and geldings over the same track and trip half an hour later.

Hurricane Cloud and Goken are among three winners produced by the Indian Rocket mare Gooseley Chope, a remarkably versatile performer who won a six-furlong maiden at Wissembourg at 2 and a hurdle race over just shy of two miles at Enghien-Soisy at 3.

Gooseley Chope is out of Gooseley Lane, a German listed winner by Pyramus, and Gooseley Lane was in turn out of Primavera, a placed daughter of Anshan.

Gooseley Chope has a 2-year-old colt by Kingman named Steadyman, who was bought by Amanda Skiffington for €675,000 (US$748,643) at last year's Arqana August Yearling Sale. She also has a yearling filly by Kendargent, thus a sister to Goken, who has already been christened Kencarla.

Beaute Pour Toi Catches the Eye

The Prix Praline, the mile maiden for unraced 3-year-old fillies at Chantilly May 12, threw up another impressive winner in the shape of Beaute Pour Toi.

Nicolas Clement's charge was sent off as an outsider but she showed a deeply impressive turn of foot in the closing stages to record a 1 3/4-length success over the David Smaga-trained Juddmonte homebred Showcasing filly Gellhorn.

Beaute Pour Toi is by Coolmore's triple classic winner Camelot, who was in the news on Saturday when his son Russian Camelot made history as the first northern hemisphere bred horse to win a 3-year-old classic in Australia by taking the TAB South Australian Derby (G1).

She was bred by Geoffrey Guy's Guy Bloodstock. Guy is also the breeder of Honeysuckle, victorious in the David Nicholson Mares' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Beaute Pour Toi is the second foal and first runner out of the winning Lawman mare Grain de Beaute, a three-parts sister to group 3-winning sprinter Beyond Desire, who in turn is the dam of listed scorer Queen of Desire.

Grain de Beaute has a 2-year-old filly from the first crop of Vadamos and a yearling filly by Decorated Knight, and she was covered by Free Eagle last year.

Clement's partner Tina Rau bought Beaute Pour Toi for 21,000 guineas ($28,209) from the Selwood Bloodstock draft at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale in 2018. The filly carries the silks of Noel Greenhalgh.

If Beaute Pour Toi goes on from her debut victory and earns black type she could provide some interesting rags to riches stories.

Grain de Beaute was sold, in foal to Free Eagle, by the Irish National Stud to Oaklands Park Stud for just €2,000 ($2,209) at this year's Goffs February Sale while her Vadamos 2-year-old filly was sold to Giovanni Floris for €2,800 ($3,126) at the Goffs Autumn Yearling Sale.