CHEVELEY PARK-BRED COLT COMES GOOD IN PRIX JEAN PRAT
GOOD GUESS (GB) defied long odds at Deauville Racecourse on Sunday afternoon when skipping clear of rivals in facile fashion to land the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat under Stephane Pasquier for owner Hisaaki Saito and trainer Fabrice Chappet.
The three-year-old son of KODIAC (GB), who won a Group 3 earlier this term, was bred by the Thompson family’s Cheveley Park Stud just outside of Newmarket.
Being out of PIVOTAL (GB) broodmare ZYKINA (GB), the colt is yet another representative of one of the operation’s most high-profile and wide-reaching families, descended from RUSSIAN RHYTHM (GB), who has proved to be a vitally important addition to the stud’s broodmare band since being purchased at the turn of the century.
Zykina is demonstrating herself to be yet another talented producer from the family. In addition to Good Guess, she has also thrown Group 3 winner SPANGLED (GB).
Sunday’s result in France provides a sparkling update for a member of the family that Cheveley Park will offer in the upcoming Tattersalls July Sale. Lot 107, a four-year-old filly named FOXTROT (GB), has been scanned in foal to Cheveley Park’s own stallion, TWILIGHT SON (GB).
Good Guess was himself purchased at Park Paddocks in Newmarket by Sebastian Desmontils’ Chauvigny Global Equine. Desmontils gave 420,000 guineas for the colt at Book 1 of the October Yearling Sale in 2021.
Great British Racing International spoke with a delighted Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park Stud after the win on Sunday:
“He was a very good looking horse and when we sold him as a yearling he made his money, 420,000 guineas at Tattersalls, and obviously we’ve been following his progress.
“It’s great to see that sort of success. It’s so nice when people spend a lot of money, and they buy a nice horse, and they get rewarded. It’s so important.
“We’ve got so much of the family, it’s just a wonderful family. Sadly, she’s quite a tricky breeder. She’s had three barren years, unfortunately, although I suppose not totally her fault as we sent her back to STARSPANGLEDBANNER to try and duplicate on Spangled, and he’s not the strongest, but she’s back in foal to KINGMAN (GB).
“Spangled hasn’t had an easy run either, just like her mother, it’s quite a tricky family. But we have a nice MEHMAS colt out of Spangled in Book 1.
“And BASHKIROVA (GB), another daughter of Pivotal from the same family, is in foal to FRANKEL (GB). She’s out of RUSSIAN FINALE (GB), another daughter of Russian Rhythm (GB).
“We’ve got POTAPOVA (GB) still in training. It’s such a big family that we’ve got plenty going forward for the family.”
Reflecting on the year Cheveley Park has had thus far in 2023, Richardson added:
“We’ve had a busy season. We’ve got 62 foals on the ground, 40 colts and 22 fillies. We continue to offer the colts and race the fillies. We’ve got eight yearling colts in Book 1 and eight in Book 2, and a small draft for Goffs UK in Doncaster.
“We had a couple of near misses at Royal Ascot with SACRED (GB) and INSPIRAL (GB), which was a little frustrating from my perspective. If those had won, we’d have been leading owner and leading breeder for the meeting, but there you go, you can’t look back.”