Qatar Jean Prat : Too Darn Hot again

The favourite Too Darn Hot (Dubawi) annihilated the opposition in the Qatar Prix Jean Prat(Gr1), on Sunday over Deauville straight 7 furlongs-trip. The Andrew Lloyd-Webber homebred trained by John Gosden like his dam Dar Re Mi, left another British raider Space Blues (Dubawi) at three lengths while Fox Champion (Kodiac) stayed on well in third, leaving the French Munitions (War Front) over two lengths down the road.

The winning time is only less than 2 tenth of a second above the course record, on a turf rated good (3,1 according to the penetrometre).

Too Darn Hot was looking for his race this season. He finished successively second of the Dante Stakes (Gr2) over 2,100m, then second in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Gr1) behind Phoenix of Spain, whom he had beaten last year, and finally third over the mile in the St. James’s Palace Stakes (Gr1) at Royal Ascot. It sounds like he’s right on his favourite distance again while his trainer is considering going over the mile again, either at Goodwood or Deauville this Summer.

It is obviously a great result for Darley sire Dubawi, who sired the first and the second-placed horses. The Jacques Le Marois winner on this very track has produced versatile champions but mostly over the mile and above. As for Dar Re Mi (Singspiel), she performed especially well over 10 to 12 furlongs, like So Mi Dar et Lah Ti Dar, two other Dubawi foals who did well before Too Darn Hot. Only De Treville, sired by the faster Oasis Dream, did well over shorter distances, by winning the Prix de la Porte Maillot (Gr3) over 7 furlongs, for instance.

Dar Re Mi is out of the Aga Khan’s Darara (Top Ville), a winner of the Prix Vermeille (Gr1) over 1m4f -so was Dar Re Mi but she was demoted by the stewards-, and she was a sister to the classic winner Darshaan (Shirley Heights). Their dam Delsy (Abdos), born in 1972, was bred by Marcel Boussac and she was third in the Prix de Pomone (Gr3) for her breeder Marcel Boussac.