Tawfan started favourite for the Prix de la Promenade de la Plage (maiden) on Wednesday, and the Al Shaqab Racing runner took the spoils on the Cagnes-sur-Mer turf after showing his fighting qualities and exhibiting that he has scope for progress.
Talking about Jean-Claude Rouget’s ward, jockey Hugo Journiac said: “I found him to be a bit on his toes as he tends to be very calm in the mornings. He showed that he was taking a keen interest on what was happening around him, but he won in the style of a nice colt. I think that he’s immature and that he will progress further still. Tawfan will never win by far and he reflects what he does in the morning during training. He has been very backward and the colt is starting to progress which augurs well for the future. He should improve a lot for the race.”
Tawfan was bred by Al Shaqab Racing. He’s a grandson of Banyu Dewi (Poliglote) – a listed winner over 1,500m and second at Group 3 level over 1,600m in Germany. She also ran fourth in the Critérium de Saint-Cloud (Group 1). She’s the dam of the smart stayer Brigantin (Cozzene), the winner of the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (Group 2) and the Prix de Barbeville (Group 3), who was also second in the Prix Kergorlay (Group 2), and third in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and the Prix du Cadran (Group 1).