Charlie Johnston’s youngster won in France at the weekend.
Lazy Griff is gearing up for a return to Group One competition after a convincing victory at Chantilly on Saturday.
Trained by Charlie Johnston and owned by Middleham Park Racing, the two-year-old has been steadily building a solid record, with his only previous win coming in a minor event at Beverley. After finishing third in a Listed race at Deauville in August, he made his way back to France for the Group Three Prix de Conde, where he was ridden by Christophe Soumillon.
Taking the lead in a seven-horse field, Lazy Griff set the pace and proved difficult to catch, ultimately holding off a fast-finishing rival to win by a neck while maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the race.
"We had been targeting this race for him ever since he performed well in the Listed race at Deauville," said Mike Prince of Middleham Park. "We anticipated that he would improve with a step up to nine furlongs. His breeding suggests stamina, and he has shown himself to be more precocious than we initially expected. We thought he would be more of a type for the later part of the season, but he started to impress us much earlier this year."
Prince continued, "We wanted Christophe to create a test of stamina, which is why he made an early move to stretch the field. It was a comfortable win in the end; while the second horse was closing in, Christophe had things under control."
Led from start to finish! Lazy Griff is allowed to dictate at @fgchantilly for @CSoumillon, @Johnston_Racing and @MprUpdates… pic.twitter.com/GIOOm3QARp
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 21, 2024
The next target for Lazy Griff is the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, a prestigious Group One race over 10 furlongs scheduled for late October. The Johnston stable triumphed in this event last year with Dubai Mile.
"The plan is to compete in the Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud on October 27. Having raced in France twice already, he has gained valuable experience with travel, so we have no concerns there," Prince added. "The ground might be a bit softer at that time of year, but he is German-bred and debuted on good to soft at Doncaster, so we aren't overly worried about that either. He has the build of a three-year-old, so we expect further improvement next year."
