Despite Minnie Hauk’s narrow Arc defeat Aidan O’Brien took his Group One tally for the year to 21 at Longchamp on Sunday with a rare top-flight double in France’s top two-year-old races.
Within 35 minutes the Irishman saddled Diamond Necklace to land the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac and Puerto Rico who won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.
Christophe Soumillon rode both Ballydoyle juveniles and had no need to resort to the whip on either one.
If both winners now enter Classic calculations for 2026, a more immediate tot is how their trainer remains remorselessly on course to break his own 2017 record of 28 Group/Grade One victories around the world.
RM Block
With British Champions Day in a fortnight, and the Breeders’ Cup starting later this month, previous speculative 3-1 bookie prices about a new record have been shredded.
O’Brien’s apparent disregard for such landmarks means he’s probably unaware of how Diamond Necklace was a record sixth Boussac for him. What’s obvious, though, is how she is a first top-notch winner for her sire, St Mark’s Basilica, and also the regard in which Soumillon holds her.
The Belgian, substituting for the injured Ryan Moore, rode her to win at the Irish Champions Festival and urged a tilt on his home ground in Paris.
“I was very confident with her. I think she was the best ride of my weekend because last time she gave me a great sensation,” he purred of a filly who is an 8-1 favourite for next year’s Guineas. “I think for next year, she will be something great.”
Puerto Rico was a 10thth Lagardere for O’Brien, although only once before in 2005 had he won both races on the same day.
Soumillon won on the second-string Camille Pissarro a year ago and he graduated to French Derby glory this season. Puerto Rico is another son of the late Wootten Bassett with Classic ambitions.
“When we stepped up to seven furlongs in Doncaster [Champagne Stakes] he really improved and Christophe gave him a beautiful ride. With Ryan off, we’re lucky Christophe doesn’t have a retainer – he’s an unbelievably special rider.
“This horse is like Wootton Bassett, and Camille Pissarro was the same – big, strong, black horses with loads of speed. Christophe said he’s a very quick horse who is going to be a miler, but probably won’t go any further than a mile.
“Camille obviously won the French Derby, whether this horse will get a mile and a quarter we’re not sure, but we didn’t think Camille would get a mile and a quarter and he got it in the French Derby,” O’Brien said.
More immediately, a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup could be on Puerto Rico’s radar in the Juvenile Turf contest.
There was an international feel to the Prix de l’Abbaye outcome as the Australian mare Asfoora became the first Group One winner from her homeland in France. It was a third European Group One success in all for the mare ridden by Oisín Murphy.
However, it relied on a dramatic late dash by an Uber driver to get Asfoora’s horse passport from Chantilly in time to allow her line up.
