Speed Is ‘King’ In Amir Trophy

[Wandering Eyes]

Horses with speedier-than-not profiles seemed to excel over the Al Rayyan turf course during the three-day HH The Amir Sword Festival, and jockey Olivier Peslier took full advantage Saturday, easing the locally owned French King (GB) (French Fifteen {Fr}) down onto the fence passing the stands for the first time and controlling the pace throughout en route to a comfortable 1 1/2-length success in the featured HH The Amir Trophy. Fellow French raider Royal Julius (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}) stayed on for second ahead of Ballydoyle’s Hunting Horn (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who raced prominently, but lacked a decisive late kick.

Hunting Horn was one of the first away, but Peslier had a handful of horse beneath him and allowed French King to gradually make his way towards the front, establishing a fairly soft lead with a circuit to travel. Allowed to bowl along on a loose rein through the middle stages, French King shook off some mild pressure from the outposted Raymond Tusk (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), pinched a break off the home corner and proved not for catching. Royal Julius came from a position worse than midfield to grab second in the dying strides. It was the third win in the feature race for Peslier.

A winner of four of his 12 outings in France, including a quartet of stakes placings in his sophomore season, French King also carried Peslier to a six-length victory in the non black-type Swiss Derby (2400m) at the Frauenfeld track last June.

The third stakes winner from the first two crops of his sire, victorious in the 2011 G1 Criterium International, French King is out of a daughter of German Group 3 and French listed winner Marine Bleue (Ire) (Desert Prince {Ire}). Marina Piccola is the dam of the 3-year-old colt Marzuq (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) and produced a full-brother to French King in 2018.

Saturday’s Results:
H.H. THE AMIR TROPHY PRESENTED BY LONGINES, $1,000,000, Al Rayyan, 2-23, 4yo/up, 2400mT, 2:26.12, fm.
1–FRENCH KING (GB), 126, c, 4, French Fifteen (Fr)–Marina Piccola (Ire) (SW-Fr), by Halling. *1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (€50,000 Wlg ’15 ARQDEC). O-H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa Al Thani; B-Umm Qarn Farms; T-Henri-Alex Pantall; J-Olivier Peslier; $570,000. Lifetime Record: MSP-Fr, 14-5-2-4, $706,868.
2–Royal Julius (Ire), h, 6, Royal Applause (GB)–Hflah (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). (25,000gns Wlg ’13 TATDEF; €40,000 Ylg ’14 ARQAUG). O-Mme Jade Prescillia Angelini; B-Old Carhue Stud; T-Jerome Reynier; $220,000.
3–Hunting Horn (Ire), c, 4, Camelot (GB)–Mora Bai (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire). O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Lynch-Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock; T-Aidan O’Brien; $110,000.
Margins: 1HF, 1 1/4, 3/4.
Also Ran: The Blue Eye (GB), Es’hail, Raymond Tusk (Ire), Duke of Dundee (Fr), Noor Al Hawa (Fr), Pazeer (Fr), Alhazm (Fr), Giuseppe Garibaldi (Ire), Veranda (Fr), Heshem (Ire), Liam the Charmer.

WATCH: French King makes all in HH The Amir Trophy

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