Three-year-old gelding Facteur Cheval, a son of Haunui Farm shuttle stallion Ribchester, oozed class when defeating a quality field to land Saturday’s Listed Tattersalls Prix de Saint-Patrick (1600m) at Chantilly.
Facteur Cheval is unbeaten in four career starts for star young trainer Jerome Reynier.
He carried the colours of Team Valor International to an impressive two-length success from Group Three winner Dreamflight and the gelding has stamped himself as one of the leading milers in France.
Held up off the slow early pace before showing a devastating turn of foot when presented widest, Facteur Cheval was ridden by evergreen jockey Gerald Mosse.
Ribchester has now sired four Stakes winners in the northern hemisphere including Group One placed sprinter Flaming Rib, who will be supplemented for next weekend’s Gr.1 July Cup (1200m) at Newmarket.
A son of Iffraaj, who has worked so well in New Zealand, Ribchester is a two-time European Champion miler who won four Group One races at the distance.
While his eldest New Zealand crop are just weanlings, Ribchester stood for two seasons in Australia, where he has been represented by stakes-performer two-year-old Plymstock from his first crop. - NZ Racing Desk
