Fabrice Chappet has taken part in a Classic test this season and, weather permitting, has two more chances of success in this weekend’s team race against Fortune (Fr) (De Treville {GB}) participated in G3 Prix Noailles and Paz (GB) on Sunday (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G3 Prix de la Grotte.
On April 6, Good Guess (GB) (Kodiac {Fr}) became the coach’s second G3 Prix Djebel winner. The first, Dice Roll (GB) (Exhibition {GB}), went on to finish third in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, with that race now on target for the pony of Hisaaki Saito, grandson by Cheveley Park Stud 1,000 Guineas Heroines and four-time Russian Rhythm Group 1 champion (Kingmambo)
Chappet of Good Guess, who has become one of the coach’s favorites since he arrived on the field from the Tattersalls, where he was picked by Sebastien from Book 1 of the October Annual Sale for 420,000 “He came out of the race perfectly,” gns said. Desmontils on behalf of the Japanese owner.
“The good thing about racing in France is that it doesn’t run at crazy speeds so the horses usually get through their races better that way. Good Guess is a cute two-year-old and he’s had a good winter, so so far everything is fine.”
The current stable star at Chappet’s Chantilly stable is Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), whose 2022 season includes wins at the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G2 Prix Greffulhe as well as the split of Luxembourg (Ire) (camel {GB}) and Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) when they finished second at G1 Irish Champion S.
The coach of the four-year-old running in the shirt Gerard Augustin-Normand said: “He should go to Prix Ganay first, all is well. “There are some good horses in the race but not many options at this time of year for Group 1 horses in France. But he’s had a nice winter and I’m very happy with him.
“He had a two-month break at the farm after the Japan Cup. He will come to Ganay first and we will be looking at Group 1 options in Europe over 2,000m and 2,400m in the first half of the year. We may consider taking him further in the second part of the season.”
Heading to Sunday, Chappet said of his two runners aiming to prove their Classic potential, “The fortunes are for the Prix Noailles and he’s two to two. This is his first race of the year but he won twice last year. Paz is also two against two and a very nice person Siyouni dirty. It’s a bit dependent on the ground, so we’ll wait and see how much rain they get in Longchamp.”
Chappet got his first taste of Classical success when Precieuse (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) won the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches to Brendan and Anne-Marie Hayes in 2017 before being sold to Peter Brant to continue his career. her with Chad Brown in America. Since then, Speak Of The Devil (Fr) and Mageva (Fr), both of which are daughters of Wootton Bassett (GB), was placed in French Guineas, as was the aforementioned Dice.
There was also glory reflected when Chappet’s former Gold Trip (Fr) (Outstrip {GB}), whom he coached to win the G2 Prix Greffulhe two years before Onesto, won the Melbourne Cup for Ciaron. Maher and David Eustace last November.
However, at this time of year, life on the training ground is more about looking forward than looking back, and Chappet stresses. TDN a few members of his 2023 juvenile team to watch as summer rolls around.
“We will have our first two-year-old runners at the end of May,” he said.
“One of my first two-year-olds running for office will be a chubby guy named Zeplacetobe (Fr). She is the daughter of Iffraaj (GB) of Zendia (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and she shows speed, so she could be the first to go.”
Zeplacetobe is jointly owned by Ecurie Hunter Valley and Jean-Etienne Dubois, both of whom participate in the ownership of Onesto. Dubois and his partners will also be found behind another new recruit to the stables, who has just arrived from Florida and the OBS March Sale.
The first season of Spendthrift Omaha Beach Farm’s stud pony out of Two Sugars (Scat Daddy) was underrated and was purchased by Hubert Guy for $285,000. This is a route that has been taken before with some success because although Onesto possesses a distinctly European pedigree, he was bred by the US-based Diamond Creek Ranch and as he is not Reaching his reserves when offered a one-year brood at Tattersalls, he was exported to the United States and sold at Ocala for $535,000 to Guy.
Chappet said of the Omaha Beach pony, “We are very excited about it. It’s a nice pony and looks pretty early, pretty fast.”
He added, “We used to not pay much attention to the crazes in the US but then we got Onesto from Ocala so we looked at it again.”
Regarding equestrianism in general, Chappet continued, “We used to say that it was not the best school for French races because we wanted the horses to look nice and comfortable in the races. race but when you look at the stats, and they are very good stats, and with horses showing such promise, it has become a much bigger thing.
“When you buy a hatchling, you don’t know how fast it can go, so when they’ve gone through this preparatory phase and got through with ease and had a good time, that’s it. an advantage for the trainer because they get a lot of work done and show that they can handle it. It may not always be the best preparation for the race in France but at the same time I think there are some advantages to being in the lead.”
Another juvenile pony that has caught the eye of trainers during this period is the family pony that received important updates last month thanks to its award-winning half-brother. My group 1 is Dubai Honor (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}).
“He has yet to be named but he is of the Invincible Spirit (Ire) from Mondelice (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}),” Chappet said. “He was bought at the Tattersalls and he is a good guy going to run for office this summer. He has shown some promise.
The foal represented the first horse at Chappet yard for Barbara Banke of Stonestreet Stable, who purchased the foal through Ben McElroy for 220,000gns.
Craig Benick is now another American owner from Chappet, and he has two horses in training there, including a juvenile La Landonne (Ire), one No Now Never Half brother to Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) owned in partnership with Haras d’Etreham. The same duo also own Lady Glenham (Ire), Zoffany’s (Ire) half-sister to Australia’s Group 1 winner and Russian stallion Widden Stud camel (Ire) (camel {GB}).
The team at Haras d’Etreham will certainly be pleased to hear feedback from the trainer about his quartet of ponies in his stable by the first season of City Light Farm (Fr), the son of Siyouni (Dad).
He said: “I have four ponies in City Light, they are beautiful and I am very pleased with them.
He also points out a pony that has been optimistically named Formula Victory (Ire). The son of Exceed And Excel (Aus) was bred by Shadwell and sold by Tally-Ho Stud for 350,000gns, who bought him as a pony at Goffs for €130,000.
“He’s also from Tattersalls and he shares the same owner as Good Guess, Hisaaki Saito,” Chappet noted. “He is another person that I like for this summer. Mr. Saito is a great fan and he certainly deserves a nice horse.”
