The Rothschild Family’s Meandre had promised much when annexing last year’s
Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris but, after a subsequent slump, turned his fortunes
around in convincing style when causing an upset in Sunday’s Group 1 Grand Prix
de Saint-Cloud.
Sent off the outsider — and only male — of the quartet remaining after
Cirrus des Aigles was withdrawn, the 6-1 shot tracked the steadily increasing
pace carved out by Shareta before being set alight by Maxime Guyon passing the
quarter-pole and surging to a 1 1/4-length success.
Galikova could do no better than third in her comeback, while Group 1 Prix de
l’Arc de Triomphe heroine Danedream was last.
“This horse is at his best during the summer and he needed his first two runs
to reach his top level,” commented trainer Andre Fabre, who is now just one
short of the record of eight wins in this prize set by Francois Mathet. “He will
not run in the (Group 1) King George (and Queen Elizabeth at Ascot July 21), but
we might take him to Berlin for the Deutschland-Preis (Group 1 at Hoppegarten
July 22).”
Settled in third early as Shareta was left to cut out the pace, Meandre
always traveled comfortably and entered the home straight ready to tackle the
Aga Khan’s runner along with Danedream. While that 9-10 favorite flattered to
deceive near the rail, it was Meandre who cut loose with real purpose from 1 1/2
furlongs down. Danedream eventually lost third to the returning Galikova, who
never looked a danger under a patient ride from Olivier Peslier.
Danedream’s trainer Peter Schiergen was at a loss to explain her flop.
“I don’t know what happened,” he said. “She traveled well and then suddenly
was finished, so we’ll have to see how she is.”
Shareta’s conditioner Alain de Royer-Dupre said of the runner-up, “She ran
her race and we have no excuses. She could run in the Prix Vermeille (Group 1 at
Longchamp September 16), but we will also consider the King George VI and Queen
Elizabeth Stakes in the interim.”
Meandre’s four runs at two yielded a single placing and it took another three
starts to get off the mark last term, but the gray quickly ascended through the
ranks and two runs later was the impressive winner of the Grand Prix de Paris on
Longchamp’s Bastille Day card. Runner-up to Reliable Man in the Group 2 Prix
Niel back there in September, he closed off his three-year-old campaign with a
fair sixth in the Arc and returned to be fourth in the Group 2 Jockey Club
Stakes over this trip at Newmarket May 5. He then disappointed when a
well-beaten second as the odds-on favorite for Longchamp’s Group 3 La Coupe over
10 furlongs last time June 11.
Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe gave an update on Cirrus des Aigles, who had to
be scratched after suffering a late setback. The triple Group 1 winner was set
to warm up for a tilt at the King George in Sunday’s contest and his conditioner
is still hopeful he will make that Ascot engagement.
“He is just a little bit lame,” Barande-Barbe told PA Sport. “It is not
serious. He just has a bit of an infection on his ankle and it impossible to run
him in these conditions as it would hurt him, so we have to stay at home. We’ll
just have to see how he is this week. This happens to horses all the time.”
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