Godolphin’s Cualificar Doubles Stakes Tally in the Prix de Guiche

[Wandering Eyes]

Godolphin's homebred 3-year-old Cualificar (Lope De Vega) made a stakes breakthrough in last month's G3 Prix La Force and doubled his pattern-race tally with a dominant 1 1/4-length success in Tuesday's G3 Prix de Guiche at Chantilly.

The even-money favourite broke well and shadowed the pace in second through halfway in this nine-furlong G1 Prix du Jockey Club trial. Cruising to the front approaching the quarter-mile marker, he was stoked up with 350 metres remaining and kept on powerfully in the closing stages to comfortably hold the late threat of Al Aali (City Light) with plenty in hand.

“We had already seen him win at this level and he confirmed again that he is quite a nice horse,” commented Godolphin's on-track representative Louise Benard. “Alexis [Pouchin] positioned him perfectly during the race, the horse quickened well and did it almost under a hand ride. He has a lovely attitude and improves with every run so, hopefully, he can improve more. He will now be back here for the big one [June 1] and tell us if he can go up in class two steps higher.”

 

The golden spell for Godolphin continues…

Cualificar follows in the footsteps of the likes of Big Rock, Vadeni and Almanzor in landing the Prix de Guiche at Chantilly! pic.twitter.com/mmEkG2pAqz

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 6, 2025

Pedigree Notes
Cualificar is the fifth of seven foals and one of three scorers out of G1 Oaks heroine Qualify (Fastnet Rock), a 1.6-million guineas graduate of the 2015 Tattersalls December sale, who was knocked down to Ballylinch Stud for €650,000 at last year's Goffs November sale. Qualify is a full-sister to multiple Group-placed multiple Bahrain champion Shogun and has also produced last term's G3 Jebel Ali Mile victor Swing Vote (Shamardal), the unraced 2-year-old filly Harriet Quimby (Pinatubo) and a weanling colt by Dark Angel. The April-foaled chestnut's fourth dam is G1 Oaks-placed matriarch Media Luna (Star Appeal).

Tuesday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DE GUICHE-G3, €80,000, Chantilly, 5-6, 3yo, c/g, 9fT, 1:53.57, g/s.
1–CUALIFICAR (GB), 128, c, 3, by Lope De Vega (Ire)
1st Dam: Qualify (Ire) (G1SW-Eng & GSW-Ire, $485,356), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Perihelion (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
3rd Dam: Medicosma, by The Minstrel
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Andre Fabre; J-Alexis Pouchin. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-0-1, €103,500. *1/2 to Swing Vote (GB) (Shamardal), GSW-UAE, $198,861. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Al Aali (Fr), 128, c, 3, City Light (Fr)–La Zubia (GB), by Montjeu (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€38,000 Ylg '23 ARQOCT). O-Fal Stud SAS, GL Racing, Remy Dupuy-Naulot & Lucie Pontoir; B-SNIG Elevage (FR); T-Lucie Pontoir. €16,000.
3–Curragh Camp (Fr), 128, c, 3, Romanised (Ire)–Delinda (Fr), by Sea The Stars (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€52,000 Ylg '23 ARQOCT). O-Robert Ng; B-SCEA Haras de Gratte Panche, Michel Dardenne, Samy Torgeman & Mohsen Ben Hamouda (FR); T-Francis-Henri Graffard. €12,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 1.00, 23.00, 4.90.
Also Ran: Madero (Fr), Les Petits Princes (Fr), Bulnes (Ire), Pure Legend (Fr).

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