BC Mile Winner Karakontie Among 10 for Marois
Image:
Description:
The Niarchos family's Karakontie, winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Mile (gr. IT), is slated to make his 2015 debut Aug. 16 in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le Buffard Jacques Le Marois (Fr-I) at Deauville.
The 4-year-old son of Bernstein meets nine opponents in the 1,600-meter (about one-mile) contest that provides the victor a fees-paid, automatic berth in this year's edition of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile Oct. 31 at Keeneland. He swept to a one-length victory in last year's race at Santa Anita Park, after capturing the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French Two Thousand Guineas, Fr-I) earlier in the year.
Japanese-bred Karakontie, trained in France by Jonathan Pease, had been bothered by foot issues earlier this year, which prevented his scheduled first start of the season in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (Eng-I) in May and in the Queen Anne (Eng-I) at Royal Ascot the following month.
As a juvenile, Karakontie won three of four starts, including the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Legardere-Grand Criterium (Fr-I).
Among the challengers to Karakontie is Godolphin's 3-year-old Territories, who has won two of his three starts this year, including the one-mile Prix Jean Prat (Fr-I) July 12 at Chantilly and the Prix de Fontainebleau (Fr-I) in April at Longchamp. In between those wins, the son of Invincible Spirit, trained by Andre Fabre, ran second to Gleneagles in the QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) in May at Newmarket.
Fabre has also entered Eduard de Rothschild's 5-year-old mare Esoterique, who was defeated a half-length by Muhaarar in the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Fr-I) last week at Deauville. The daughter of Danehill Dancer was also second, by a neck, to the formidable Solow in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot.
Godolphin also has two other runners, both group I winners: 4-year-old Toormore, a son of Arakan trained by Richard Hannon, and 3-year-old Belardo, a Lope de Vega colt from Roger Varian's yard.
Toormore comes into the Jacques Le Marois off a three-quarter-length victory over Dutch Connection in the seven-furlong Qatar Lennox Stakes (Eng-II) at Goodwood. He also finished second by a neck to Night of Thunder in the Lockinge at Newbury and subsequently was fourth in the Queen Anne.
Belardo, winner of the Dubai Dewhurst (Eng-I) last year at age 2, is winless in three starts this season, including a seventh behind Solow in the Qatar Sussex (Eng-I), after a fourth in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) and an eighth-place finish in the AON Greenham (Eng-III) in April at Newbury to start the year.