Bursting into the limelight when breaking her maiden in Group 1 company three weeks ago, the three-year-old Purebred Arabian filly Image Du Croate carried the colours of owner Her Excellency Sheikha Reem Bint Mohammed Bin Khalifa al-Thani to another big race success when taking the Prix Nevada II (Group 3 PA) at Toulouse on Monday.
Trained by Elizabeth Bernard, Image Du Croate put up an excellent performance when getting up close home to land Group 1 PA Qatar Arabian Trophy Des Pouliches three weeks ago. The three-year-old was dropped back to 1,600m at Toulouse and she showed the same determined attitude to score under an excellent ride by jockey Maxime Guyon.
Having jumped out sharply, Image Du Croate was restrained by Guyon and placed towards the rear of the nine-strong field. Terre D’or took the field along through the early stages but set only a steady pace. With little change to the pace in the back straight, the field bunched up. Travelling with plenty of enthusiasm, Image Du Croate worked her way through the field and sat on the heels of the leader on the turn for home. Once in the straight, the filly was asked to go clear by Guyon and pulled a length clear of the field. Inside the final 200m, Image Du Croate was chased hard by the Al Shaqab Racing-owned Al Wakrah, but she always doing enough and gamely held off Thomas Fourcy-trained and Jerome Cabre-ridden Al Wakrah by a neck at the line. X. Thomas-Demeaulte’s ward THI QAR (AF Albahar), representing the colours of Mohamed bin Fahad al-Attiyah, ran yet another solid race with Valentin Seguy astride, and finished three lengths further back in third.
“I was really worried that I had gotten it wrong : to run three weeks after winning a Group 1 seemed a little bit risky”, said Elizabeth Bernard a rather emotional after the race, “ But she has been so well in the mornings that I couldn’t see how she could go six months without running. She won easier than she did at Saint-Cloud and she even gave two kilos to the runner-up. That’s some effort for a three-year-old filly! Therefore, I think she has progressed since her Saint Cloud win. What I love about her is that she won over 2,000m and now she has done it again over 1,600m – to be able to do that, she must be a champion.”
Image Du Croate is by the top-class stallion Munjiz. Her dam Beanie Du Croate won at Agen and was also placed fourth in the Group 2 Qatar Prix De L’Elevage at Toulouse. She has now produced two winners as a broodmare. She is a sister to two winners, Dione Du Croate a winner in Oman and Falcone Du Croate a winner on debut in Qatar.