Arrival of the quinté: 3 – 9 – 7 – 10 – 11
Even though the sun was shining on the shores of the Mediterranean, the horses who were fond of soft terrain or resistant to too firm tracks were able to give their full potential. It was in these conditions that Shahbandar (n° 3) showed himself to be the strongest at the end of the 2,150 m course on the grass track of the Riviera racecourse.
However, the 4-year-old male, neglected (32/1), was not expected at such a party. Only seen on the slopes six times in France, he had never shone there, his best performances having been achieved in his country of training, the Czech Republic.
???? Shahbandar (@BachelotT / I. Janackova-Koplikova) creates a surprise in the Prix des Bouches-du-Rhône, Quinté+ of the day in Cagnes-sur-Mer.
First victory on the ground ???????? for this Czech representative.
???? 3 – 9 – 7 – 10 – 11 pic.twitter.com/r41BiXIXYR
— Equidia (@equidia) February 7, 2024
Quickly in the lead, he never let himself approach in the final phase. “It is true that we had no perspective on his abilities,” recognizes the winning jockey, Théo Bachelot, already winner of Monday’s quinté and author of a magnificent start to the year, speaking to Equidia. We asked to see even if he had good performances in the Czech Republic. He likes to dominate the situation. Everything came together well, and he was tough to dominate the situation. »
Despite a good straight line, rather inside, Hoxton (n° 9) made a most encouraging reappearance and will be one to watch in this type of competition. Like the favorite, Village Anglais (n° 7), whose good end of the race deprives No Limit Dream (n° 10) of second place. Like the winner, Bluff (No. 11) was one of the most neglected competitors, which did not prevent him from obtaining fifth place.
