Zarak’s Metropolitan Wins The Poulains

[Wandering Eyes]

Scheduled 40 minutes after the fillies' Classic, Sunday's G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains offered a dramatic contrast with a heavy downpour greatly affecting the aesthetics at ParisLongchamp and to an extent the ground also. In the event, the race was off 40 minutes en retard due to the thunderstorm before Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}–Alianza {GB}, by Halling) provided another surprise result on the afternoon by overcoming higher-profile peers at 24-1.

Unbeaten in two juvenile starts before finishing fifth in the course-and-distance G3 Prix de Fontainebleau last month, the Mario Baratti trainee who races for Peter R Bradley III and Scuderia Scolari was perfectly positioned by Alexis Pouchin in third having been drawn on the rail. Using the cutaway to get up the inside of TDN Rising Star Alcantor (Fr) (New Bay {GB}) with 150 metres remaining, the €78,000 Arqana Deauville October graduate stayed on to deny fellow outsider Dancing Gemini (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) by half a length, with Alcantor a short neck away in third.

 

Metropolitan lands the French 2000 Guineas at 25/1 at @paris_longchamp for @pouchinalexis! pic.twitter.com/MIq5CvCKp1

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 12, 2024

 

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
EMIRATES POULE D'ESSAI DES POULAINS-G1, €650,000, ParisLongchamp, 5-12, 3yo, c, 8fT, 1:37.84, gd.
1–METROPOLITAN (FR), 128, c, 3, by Zarak (Fr)
     1st Dam: Alianza (GB), by Halling
     2nd Dam: Cercle D'Amour, by Storm Cat
     3rd Dam: Warm Mood, by Alydar
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€78,000 Ylg '22 ARQOCT). O-Peter R Bradley III & Scuderia Scolari; B-Stuart McPhee (FR); T-Mario Baratti; J-Alexis Pouchin. €371,410. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, €407,410. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Dancing Gemini (Ire), 128, c, 3, Camelot (GB)–Lady Adelaide (Ire), by Australia (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Fishdance Ltd (IRE); T-Roger Teal. €148,590.
3–Alcantor (Fr), 128, c, 3, New Bay (GB)–Bianca De Medici (GB), by Medicean (GB). (€180,000 Wlg '21 ARQDEC). O-Baron Edouard de Rothschild; B-SCEA du Grand Chene (FR); T-Andre Fabre. €74,295.
Margins: HF, SNK, NK. Odds: 24.30, 26.00, 20.00.
Also Ran: Diego Velazquez (Ire), Ramadan (Fr), Supercooled (Ire), Eben Shaddad, Henry Longfellow (Ire), Puchkine (Fr), Roshvar (Fr), Orne (Ire), Beauvatier (Fr), Keran (Fr). Video, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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