Andre Fabre has another leading three-year-old colt on his hands in the shape of Mutual Trust after his narrow victory in the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly.
Fresh from Fabre landing his first Epsom Derby with Pour Moi last month, Mutual Trust maintained his unbeaten record under jockey Maxime Guyon at the chief expense of Aidan O’Brien’s Zoffany and Richard Hannon’s Strong Suit.
Zoffany was sent off favourite after getting closer to Frankel than any other horse has to date this season in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Strong Suit was attempting to give Hannon and Richard Hughes their second successive win in the race after Dick Turpin 12 months ago, having returned to his best in the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot following a successful breathing operation.
There was minor drama at the start when Temps Au Temps dwelt on leaving the stalls and was so far behind he was pulled up.
With the lack of a pacemaker, Hughes decided to make the running on Strong Suit but set only a sedate pace as Mutual Trust followed him into the straight.
At the business end Strong Suit initially showed a better turn of foot and held a definite advantage approaching the final furlong, while Ryan Moore was furiously trying to get Zoffany into contention.
Strong Suit began to tire with 100 yards to go, allowing Fabre’s colt and Zoffany their chance and as the three crossed the line together, Mutual Trust was given the verdict by a head from Zoffany with a nose to Strong Suit.
A possible clash with Goldikova could be on the cards for the winner, whose sire Cacique is no longer on the stallion roster after being found to be infertile.
“He is a very promising colt,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to winning owner Khalid Abdullah.
“He showed lots of tenacity today to go with his obvious class. We’re very happy with him and the way he keeps progressing.
“So far he has gone through the gears from a maiden to a conditions race and then a Group Three and now a Group One. He’s a high-class horse.”
PA AAP TURF
