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Second Classic winner of 2024 for Kingman
Up in trip for Sunday's Gr.1 Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly, Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois's Sparkling Plenty (Fr) (Kingman {GB}–Speralita {Fr}, by Frankel {GB}) edged another close-run affair in a French Classic in 2024.
By Tom Frary, Thoroughbred Daily News, 17th June 2024
Held up at the back early by Tony Piccone, the 15-1 shot had to pass runners all quickening off a moderate tempo, but had miling speed which set her apart from her middle-distance rivals. With virtually every rival still to get by two out, the Patrice-Cottier-trained bay who had won the G2 Prix de Sandringham here a fortnight earlier at least had clear daylight to do so.
Responding with a surge to get to the front 100 metres from the finish, she prevailed in a desperate finale between four fillies, with a head margin to spare over the Nicolas Clement-trained 26-1 outsider Survie (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) as Tamfana (Ger) (Soldier Hollow {GB}) and Aventure (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) ended up half a length behind, separated by a head for third and fourth. Dubois now faces a quandary, with Sparkling Plenty catalogued to be sold as lot 11 in the Goffs London Sale on Monday.
Cottier said of the winner, whose dam is a half-sister to the 2009 Prix de Diane heroine Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), “I have no words. It is just unbelievable. My thoughts are with Christian Demuro, who got hurt last week and couldn't ride, but Tony was perfect today. It is a pleasure to train for a top owner-breeder like Jean-Pierre Dubois. Last year we had Sauterne, this year Sparkling Plenty. He is such a great horseman. You learn from him everyday.”
Sparkling Plenty, who won both her 2-year-old starts including the Listed Prix Delahante at Marseille-Borely in October, had returned with purpose by registering a clear-cut success in this track's Prix du Coeur des Princes conditions event on the Polytrack in February. Third on heavy ground in the Listed Prix la Camargo at Saint-Cloud in March and fifth in the Gr.3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp the following month, she had run with real credit when sixth after a troubled passage in the Gr.1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches back at the latter venue the following month.
Buoyed by her confidence-restoring and emphatic win in the Sandringham, the homebred who had not made her reserve at the 2022 Arqana Deauville August Sale was able to use her explosive acceleration to real effect here. Recording an impressive 34.83 for her closing three furlongs, she satisfyingly ran the fastest overall split to land the killer blow in the penultimate furlong of 11.21, with only Aventure getting close to that before feeling the effects in the closing stages.
Survie, who beforehand looked one of the race's more exposed types having been third in the Gr.2 Prix Saint-Alary, upped her game markedly and owner Gerard Augustin-Normand's representative John Hammond was not surprised. “It is frustrating to lose by so little, but this the sport and there is only one winner. She had a great trip and there was just one too good,” he said.
David Menuisier had no excuses for Tamfana, who enjoyed the perfect trip and managed a placing in a Classic this time having just failed in the 1,000 Guineas. “She ran her heart out,” he said. “She had every chance and she has done the hard work at the front there. I'm proud because she did what she could, but obviously disappointed as well because she looked like the winner. I think she showed more kick over a mile than she did here and I may have got this one wrong, but we can correct that later on.”
Pedigree Notes
Sparkling Plenty, who becomes the 12th group 1 winner for her sire, is currently the last known foal out of the unraced Speralita (GB) (Frankel {GB}), whose son Noble Truth (Fr) also by Kingman captured the Gr.3 Jersey S. and was runner-up in the Gr.1 Grand Criterium. Her aforementioned half-sibling Stacelita won five other races at the highest level other than this Classic and was champion grass mare following her exploits in the Beverly D and Flower Bowl Invitational. She went on to produce three stakes winners headed by the Gr.1 Yushun Himba and Gr.1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies-winning Japanese champion Soul Stirring (Jpn) by Speralita's sire Frankel and is also the second dam of another Yushun Himba-winning champion in Stars On Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) who also took the G1 Oka Sho.
Speralita and Stacelita are out of the Listed Kronimus-Rennen scorer and Gr.3 Prix des Reservoirs runner-up Soignee (Ger) (Dashing Blade {GB}), whose other unraced daughter Salicorne (Aragorn {Ire}) is responsible for the owner's surprise Gr.1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp heroine Sauterne (Fr) again by Kingman. This is also the family of the Gr.1 Grosser Preis von Baden heroine Sunny Queen (Ger) (Camelot {GB}) and the G1 Commonwealth Cup runner-up Flaming Rib (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), with this being the dam line of the legendary German champion and foundation mare Schwarzgold (Ger).