Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere tilt on the agenda for three-time scorer.
Christopher Head is targeting the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for his promising juvenile, Houquetot, following the colt’s recent victory in Paris over the weekend.
Bred by Coolmore Stud, Houquetot is a son of Wootton Bassett and a Group Three-winning War Front mare named Happen. He is now owned by a partnership that includes Al Shaqab Racing, Jean-Claude Seroul, and Gerard Augustin-Normand.
Houquetot made an impressive debut in June at Compiegne, winning a seven-furlong race by three lengths. He followed that with another victory at the same track a month later, this time winning by two and a half lengths. In August, competing in the silver silks of Al Shaqab, he stepped up to Group Three level at Deauville in the Prix Francois Boutin, finishing as the runner-up behind Joseph O'Brien's Cowardofthecounty.
In his latest outing at Longchamp, Houquetot faced another Group challenge in the Prix la Rochette, where he demonstrated his potential by securing a convincing three-quarter-length victory.
The head is now looking ahead to the Lagardere for Houquetot’s next race, expressing hopes that he will mature into a miler capable of competing in the Classics next season. “Houquetot has been doing very well; he came back from his race brilliantly,” said the trainer. “We will aim for the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. He is such a swift horse, a very nice horse with a good temperament. Aurelien has been doing a great job with him, and we’ve been keeping him fresh for the next one.”
Discussing the colt’s future Classic aspirations, Head affirmed, “That’s the plan, that’s very much the plan.”
In addition to Houquetot, Head also trains another promising Wootton Bassett colt, Maranoa Charlie, who is out of a Galileo mare and has won both of his starts to date. After an impressive three-and-a-half-length debut victory at Deauville in August, the two-year-old stepped up to a mile at Chantilly last Saturday, dominating his rivals with an astonishing eight-length win.
Although a solid target for Maranoa Charlie has not yet been established, he holds entries for various Group events this autumn. Head indicated that he will likely keep the colt over a mile as a juvenile. “He showed a lot of ability as a front-runner and can handle any ground,” he noted. “He looks like a swift horse, so it’s going to be interesting. We will probably keep him over that distance as a two-year-old and then see what’s next. There are many options, so I will talk to the owners and we will make a decision.”
