Ervedya Up Late for French 1,000 Guineas Win

The Aga Khan's Ervedya was up in time to deny front-runner Irish Rookie victory the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Fr-I, French One Thousand Guineas) May 10 at Longchamp.

 

Flying late and fast with Christophe Soumillon after relaxing at the rear of 14-filly field, Ervedya edged past Irish Rookie inside the final furlong to win by three-quarters of a length for Jean-Claude Rouget, who also captured last year's race with Avenir Certain.

 

Fontanelice led from the start before QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) sixth-place finisher Irish Rookie caught her over a furlong out. While that filly found Ervedya closing rush too strong, she gamely hung on to second, just a neck in front of highly regarded and previously unbeaten Mexican Gold.

 

Ervedya, who broke from post 12, was timed in 1:36.48 for 1,600 meters (about a mile) on turf rated as good to soft. 

 

In her season debut April 4 at Maisons-Laffitte, Ervedya was a 1 3/4-length winner of the Prix Imprudence (Fr-III). At age 2, she won in the Prix de Cabourg (Fr-III) and was third in the Prix Morny (Fr-I), both at Deauville against colts, and was runner-up in the Prix Marcel Boussac (Fr-I) at Longchamp at the Guineas distance.  

 

Homebred Ervedya is from the first crop Siyouni, a son of Pivotal who stands at the Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval in France alongside Makfi, whose first-crop son Make Believe won the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Fr-I, French Two Thousand Guineas) earlier on the card.

 

"It's a great day for the studs," Georges Rimaud, the manager of the Aga Khan Studs, told England's Press Association. He added Ervedya will be pointed to the Coronation Stakes (Eng-I) June 19 at Royal Ascot, as long as she comes out of the Guineas in good order. 

 

Ervedya's dam is the winning King's Best mare Elva, who was third in the 2007 Prix Vanteaux (Fr-III) for Rouget.