Esoterique Springs Upset in Prix Rothschild

Trainer Andre Fabre's second stringer Esoterique edged past stablemate Miss France nearing the finish and won the Prix Rothschild (Fr-I) Aug. 3 at Deauville.

 

Tracking closely but in last under Pierre-Charles Boudot in the compact filed of four, Esoterique unwound a swift rally in the stretch to join Miss France as they raced past pacesetter L'Amour de Ma Vie and favorite Integral in the final 200 meters. The 4-year-old Danehill Dancer filly got past QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) winner Miss France late and won by three-quarters of a length.

 

Time for the 1,600-meter race (about one mile) for fillies and mares was 1:37.86 on soft turf.

 

Integral, the 7-10 favorite off a two-length triumph over L'Amour de Ma Vie in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Eng-II) in June at Royal Ascot, tracked that rival from second, but lacked the needed response for Ryan Moore. She finished third, 1 3/4 lengths behind Miss France. L'Amour de Ma Vie brought up the rear, three-quarters of a length farther back.

 

Esoterique won the Dahlia Stakes (Eng-III) by a head from Integral May 4 at Newmarket but was ninth in the Duke of Cambridge. She has a 4-1-0 record from nine career starts that includes a win in the 2013 Prix Vanteaux (Fr-III), followed by a runner-up finish to Flotilla in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Fr-I, French One Thousand Guineas). The filly was seventh in the Prix de Diane (Fr-I, French Oaks) and did not race again for nine months. She posted two fourth-place finishes to launch her comeback at Saint-Cloud in March and April before winning the Dahlia.

 

The Rothschild is named for Guy Rothschild, the father of Esoterique's owner-breeder Edouard de Rothschild. The winner was bred in Ireland out of the unraced Dancing Brave mare Dievotchka. The dam has produced five other stakes winners, including group winners Russian Hope, Russian Cross, and Archange d'Or.