Lester Piggott will have one more tilt at Derby glory next month, albeit not in the Epsom version which he won a record nine times as a jockey. On 4 June, the day after the English Derby, the 81-year-old will be at Chantilly to watch Rivet, the colt he part-owns, try his luck in the French equivalent, the Prix du Jockey-Club.
That race, which Piggott won aboard Hard To Beat 45 years ago, suddenly became Rivet’s target after he ran a fair, slightly one-paced third in the French 2,000 Guineas here on Sunday. The horse’s trainer, William Haggas, who also happens to be Piggott’s son-in-law, made an immediate decision that such mile events were no longer for Rivet, who will consequently be stepped up in distance to the 10 furlongs of the Jockey-Club.
For about two-thirds of Sunday’s race, the Frankie Dettori-ridden Rivet looked a possible winner as he headed his group on the far side of this coastal circuit in Normandy. But then the home defence mounted a challenge that proved irresistible, Le Brivido ranging alongside while Brametot made a move from the other side of the track.
Those two fought out a thrilling finish, with Brametot prevailing on the line by a short-head under Cristian Demuro. Rivet trailed by three lengths at the line but was himself six lengths clear of the remaining 10, enough to prove that he belongs at this level.
Defeat in a Classic can be the end of a dream but that was not the case with Rivet, as was clear when the returning Dettori gave Haggas a thumbs-up before dismounting. “He ran a very commendable race,” the trainer said moments later, after a short conflab with Piggott. “I couldn’t really fault him.
“I think maybe we should try further now, those two horses seemed to be quicker than him at the end. I had planned to go for the Irish Guineas but I think we’ll come back for the Derby. He’s a strong-galloping horse but they were just a bit quicker, those two. But he put the others to bed.”
Haggas will return to Newmarket with plenty of euros, having also had the runner-up in Saturday’s French 1,000 Guineas. Asked if he had had a frustrating weekend, he replied: “Not at all because they’re hard to win and, with the superpowers of Godolphin and Coolmore and Al Shaqab, it’s very hard to compete. But I was thrilled with the filly yesterday and thrilled today. They’ve run with credit and I think they’ll both get better.”
Underlining Haggas’s point, Al Shaqab owns Brametot, a most welcome winner for his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, whose Pau yard has been struck by a virus this spring. Meanwhile Godolphin won the other Group One on the card, the Prix Saint-Alary, with the Charlie Appleby-trained Sobetsu.
John Gosden, whose Coronet was third to Sobetsu, had news of Rab Havlin’s case against France Galop, who have banned the British jockey for six months after claiming to find cocaine, along with temazepam and other painkilling drugs, in a sample taken at Saint-Cloud in October. Havlin says he was taking painkillers for a bad back but that the finding of cocaine can only be the result of contamination during the testing process.
“Papers have just been served in the French courts,” Gosden reported, “so we have the joys of the Napoleonic code now. He’s a good friend and he’d be the first to come and tell me if he’d made a mistake. All this for two painkillers taken five days before … ”
However, it seems there will be no backing down by the French ruling body. The vibes from France Galop are that officials are confident the positive finding will withstand legal scrutiny and that the correct procedures were followed, despite assertions to the contrary in the British press.
Aidan O’Brien could do no better than fifth with his six Guineas runners in France over the weekend but will have been cheered by the news from home, as Acapulco won on her debut for the Irishman at The Curragh. Previously trained in the US by Wesley Ward, she is now no bigger than 5-1 for the King’s Stand at Royal Ascot next month.
Meanwhile there was an intriguing market move in the Derby as the odds against Crystal Ocean fell from 33-1 to 14-1. Sir Michael Stoute’s colt is among a host of Epsom candidates expected to line up in York’s Dante Stakes on Thursday.
Chris Corrigan’s tips for Monday
Wetherby
1.50 Powderhouse 2.20 Red Royalist 2.50 Rose Marmara 3.25 Zodiakos 4.00 Mon Beau Visage 4.30 Newt 5.00 I’m Super Too 5.35 Midlight
Brighton
2.10 Golden Easter 2.40 Whitecrest 3.15 One Big Surprise 3.50 Munawer 4.20 Melabi 4.50 Bettsalottie 5.25 The Big Lad
Kempton
2.00 Ok Corral 2.30 Corrie Loch 3.05 Midnight Cowboy 3.35 Magic Bullet 4.10 Seven Kingdoms (nap) 4.40 Peppay Le Pugh
Windsor
5.20 Highland Cradle 5.50 Crowned Eagle 6.20 Choice Encounter 6.50 Sparkalot 7.20 Mitchum Swagger 7.50 Salieri 8.20 Chaparrachik
Towcester
5.30 While You Wait 6.00 Better Days (nb) 6.30 Nampararoo 7.00 Newton Geronimo 7.30 Clearly Capable 8.00 Bear’s Affair 8.30 Honest Vic
