Iresine Romps in Prix-Royal Oak in Group 1 Debut

The number of calls Jean-Pierre Gauvin has received in the last two years from people attempting to take Iresine  away to Australia has been eclipsed only by those from agents suggesting a more high-profile jockey to replace Marie Velon on the now group 1–winning son of Manduro.

Gauvin resisted both temptations on numerous occasions, and his team was rewarded Oct. 23 when Iresine put up a striking performance to win the Prix Royal-Oak (G1) by three lengths on the 2-1 favorite's first try at the 1 15/16-mile trip.

Chris Hayes must have thought he had his rivals covered aboard Search For A Song  and may not quite have believed his eyes when Iresine appeared on his inside as if he had been parachuted into the race in the false straight at Longchamp.

"I'm really amazed by this horse today," said Gauvin, the man who lived a fairy tale with Prix du Jockey Club-French Derby (G1) winner Saonois  a decade ago. "Marie rode him perfectly—although she's ridden a lot of good races on him before–and to canter into a race of this level on what was his first try at the distance and on really deep ground, he's just an extraordinary horse.

"I was reassured all the way through because she got him beautifully relaxed, and although he was in behind horses, he wasn't crowded and he was never that far away from the leaders."

Gauvin added: "The plan was to let him come between horses in the straight, and although he found himself on the inside where the ground might not have been the best, it was the right choice to go the short way round.

"I was worried it might have all opened up too quickly and Marie said the same afterwards, but he never looked liked cracking."

Iresine blitzed his rivals over a mile and a half in the Qatar Prix Foy (G2), and it was through lack of an alternative that Gauvin opted to go up in distance.

Velon has spent her whole career at Gauvin's base between Lyon and St Etienne and has grown in stature with Iresine.

"We didn't know his limits before today and I'm not sure we do now," she said. "He's a really good horse to win like that and I never imagined winning a group 1 in that style.

"I'm delighted to be able to do it for my trainer and an owner who has always supported me. I'm not sure I can quite grasp what has just happened."

With the caveat that he might not want very fast ground, Iresine appears versatile to the point where you could enter him in the 1 1/4-mile Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) one day and the 2 1/2-mile Gold Cup (G1) the next. 

As to whether he runs again this season, Gauvin said: "We've looked after him and the obvious desire now is to travel with him. He's been invited to the Japan Cup and that will come up too quickly, but we'll consider Hong Kong in December."