New Bay Flies to French Derby Win
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With France's reigning champion jumps jockey Vincent Cheminaud aboard, New Bay stormed from far back to a clear win in the Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-I, French Derby) May 31 at Chantilly.
New Bay was next to last in the 14-horse field entering the stretch, but Cheminaud elicited an inspired rally from the son of Dubawi, who sweep past the field and struck the lead with a furlong to run. He stayed on strongly to deny runner-up Highland Reel, with U.S. owner Joseph Allen's War Dispatch finishing third, 1 3/4 lengths back.
"The great quality of the horse is his turn of foot," said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager for winning owner and breeder Khaled Abdullah of Juddmonte Farms. "He was very calm before the race. He is capable of changing his speed, which characterizes the great horses."
Last time out, New Bay overcame a wide draw and closed from last to take second behind pacemaker and stablemate Make Believe in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (Fr-I, French Two Thousand Guineas) in his stakes debut. Similarly challenged Sunday, with a far-from-ideal draw from post 13, New Bay relished the stretch out in distance and won with authority.
The final time for 2,100 meters (about 1 5/16 miles) was 2:05.69 on good to soft turf.
"I was not very preoccupied by the distance," Grimthorpe said. "His young jockey knew how to deal with pressure and was very professional. He is a champion. I am very happy. It is a big day for the prince and the Juddmonte breeding."
From a prominent Juddmonte family, New Bay was produced by Zamindar's daughter Cinnamon Bay, a French stakes winner who is a half sister to French multiple group winner Bellamy Cay. This is the family of 1993 Irish Oaks (Ire-I) winner Wemyss Bigth, dam of U.S. multiple grade I winner Beat Hollow, along with European champion and prominent sire Oasis Dream and 2002 French One Thousand Guineas (Fr-I) winner Zenda, who is the dam of 2014 European Horse of the Year Kingman.
Juddmonte won the French Derby in 1990 with Sanglamore. The colt is trained in Chantilly by Andre Fabre, who was top amateur rider before initially starting out as a jumps trainer. He enjoyed a fourth win in the French Derby and his third in the race since the distance was reduced to 2,100 meters in 2009.
Only an apprentice jockey on the flat (jockey with less than 70 victories), Cheminaud, 21, is the first apprentice to win the French Derby since Serge Gorli captured the race with Bikala in 1981.
New Bay has a 2-2-0 record from four career starts. He was second in his debut last November at Chantilly and won his 2015 debut in a conditions race April 20 at Longchamp, in his start prior to the French Guineas.
Highland Reel, sixth in the French Guineas for trainer Aidan O'Brien, showed his progress with his good second under Joseph O'Brien in the French Derby.
"(He) ran a very good race," O'Brien said of Highland Reel, who was second entering the final furlong. "He made a very good effort in the last part of the race and was very courageous."
Completing the order of finish were Piment Rouge in fourth, followed by Sumbal, Mostaneer, Cape Clear Island, Karaktar, Silverwave, Listan, Kahouanne, High Dynamite, Campione, and War Envoy.