Sacred Property

[Wandering Eyes]

Unbeaten records are always precious, but France’s joint-second top-rated juvenile of 2017 Sacred Life (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) now has to put his on the line as he re-emerges from his winter rest in Monday’s G3 Prix Djebel at Deauville. Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard’s bargain €10,000 private buy first advertised his mettle when scoring by five lengths in a 7 1/2-furlong conditions on soft ground here in August and was more dynamic next time when beating the useful Alba Power (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) by six in Saint-Cloud’s G3 Prix Thomas Bryon in October. Denied the opportunity to attempt a first top-level success in the protest-stricken G1 Criterium International back at the latter track, the bay who has put Stephane Wattel’s training career in the limelight could add further lustre to the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Again it is a British challenger who rates a serious threat and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s Cardsharp (GB) (Lonhro {Aus}) had the class to beat the subsequent champion 2-year-old U S Navy Flag (War Front) in the G2 July S. at Newmarket prior to some fine efforts under resulting penalty. Third and fifth behind that rival in Newmarket’s G1 Middle Park S. and G1 Dewhurst S. during the autumn, he has stamina to prove. That is not an issue for Markus Jooste’s Woodmax (Ger) (Maxios {GB}), who was on the premises with some of Europe’s best when fourth in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at a mile on Chantilly’s Arc card.

View the full article