Deauville: Verry Elleegant’s coach Francis Graffard says he gained’t hand over on the Melbourne Cup heroine regardless of a disappointing European debut, the place she completed final of seven runners at Deauville, a French seaside resort city in Normandy.
The Melbourne Cup winner – who began as a $3.40 favorite – jumped final, settled final and completed final within the €250,000 Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet, threatening just for a quick second on the 600-metre mark when requested by jockey Frankie Dettori, in an underwhelming begin to her new life in Graffard’s Chantilly stables.
Verry Elleegant completed final of seven runners in her European debut at Deauville, a French seaside resort city in Normandy.Credit score:Nick Moir
Winner Aristia, skilled by Richard Hannon, was left as the only British-trained runner after Sir Michael Stoute’s Ville De Grace was withdrawn initially after failing to enter the stalls. The four-year-old filly ($5.20) constructed on a formidable run at Superb Goodwood final begin, when she was second within the Nassau Stakes, and led from the outset below Sean Levey to carry off Rosscarbery for the win over 2000 metres.
Graffard, who had lauded the seven-year-old mare’s enchancment in latest weeks to her outstanding Australian house owners together with Brae Sokolski and Ozzie Kheir, mentioned whereas the outcome was “clearly not good”, he was nonetheless “very happy” together with her run.
“The monitor right here is hard right now, you needed to be a frontrunner on this monitor… no horses have been making a run,” he instructed The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after the race.
“Frankie mentioned she was a bit rusty within the early components of the race, however she ran on very well and, for me as a coaching perspective, I believe she did an excellent comeback, contemplating the monitor and her place within the race.”
Having ditched her crimson and blue colors in favour of the Jomara Bloodstock inexperienced silks made well-known by Humidor, twice positioned in a Cox Plate behind champion mare Winx in 2017 and 2018, Verry Elleegant was by no means urged early and Dettori allowed the seven-year-old to search out her ft on the formally rated good monitor.
“I used to be not anticipating her to be so off the tempo within the early components of the race,” Graffard mentioned. “However as Frankie mentioned she was just a little bit rusty. She appears okay, we’ll see how she recovers however there are positives to be taken I believe.”
The 11-time group one winner, who handed Sydney coach Chris Waller his first Melbourne Cup final November, had missed her earlier project when connections deemed she wasn’t fairly prepared for her first begin.
