Ryan Moore’s deadeye judgment in pressure-cooker situations has rarely been better illustrated than by Camille Pissarro’s thrilling French Derby victory at Chantilly on Sunday.
The Irish horse delivered Aidan O’Brien a second success in the €1.5 million Qatar Prix Du Jockey Club following St Mark’s Basilica’s dominant victory in 2021.
Covid pandemic restrictions meant Moore couldn’t travel to France on that occasion. It left veteran local rider Ioritz Mendizabal to do the relatively straightforward steering.
It’s hard to argue, though, that most other jockeys would have got Camille Pissarro into the prestigious winner’s enclosure.
A stall one draw in a massive 18-runner field was a plus but not so much that it didn’t come with complications too.
Crucial to the picture was how O’Brien’s second-string, Trinity College, was in box three. Wayne Lordan got him out quickly and along with the English runner, Bowmark, ensured a strong pace. Moore slotted in behind in their wake.
It still left him with the dilemma of when to go on a doubtful stayer and as the local hope Cualificar, as well as Bowmark’s stable companion Detain, challenged on the outer, Moore’s sangfroid must have been strained.
The Englishman opted for a dive on to the rail that momentarily, and ironically, looked like it might be impeded by none other than Trinity College.
But when the 7-2 favourite got through the gap he stretched and got to the line half-a-length in front of Cualificar. Detain was a neck back in third with Trinity College a further neck behind in fourth.
Camille Pissarro became just the fourth ever Irish-trained winner of France’s premier Classic. It sets the all-conquering Ballydoyle team up perfectly for this Saturday’s Derby at Epsom.
“It was actually a very smooth race. Gosden’s horse [Bowmark] and our horse went forward, and they got well spread out,” Moore said. “I didn’t want to come out too early and I knew I was going to have to hope for a little luck. But because he has so much speed and can whip in, he’s able to find a way through. Aidan has always had a lot of belief in this horse.”
Nevertheless, it was Detain’s rider Christope Soumillon who convinced O’Brien the extended 10-furlong trip would be within Camille Pissarro’s capabilities after riding the colt to finish third in the French Guineas. The Belgian was the first to congratulate Moore and pat the winner.
Describing Moore’s ride as “incredible”, O’Brien pointed to the Eclipse, or perhaps a drop back to a mile as potential targets for the winner.
“Christophe was delighted with him the last day and he said to come here with him. But what a ride Ryan gave him. He had a lovely draw as it’s very difficult when you’re wide. He was wide the last day when he ran in the French Guineas, he was very wide all the way.
“But if you have a draw and you have class like he was, then Ryan was prepared to wait. There was no rush getting him there and I don’t think he could have waited any longer.
“He’s a very classy horse. Obviously, he’s a Group One winner on Arc day (2024 Prix Jean Luc Lagadere) when Christophe rode him. He had a great run in the French Guineas.
“It’s a difficult race to win and you need a horse with a lot of speed, and they have to get a mile and a quarter as well. It’s a very important race and it makes him a very important horse now. He’s a perfect, big, powerful, black horse by Wootton Bassett,” Ireland’s champion trainer said.
It was an 11th French Classic victory for O’Brien, while Moore had previously won the ‘Jockey Club’ in 2014 on The Grey Gatsby.
Focus will now turn to Epsom and what Moore will pick. Delacroix is widely presumed to emerge as O’Brien’s number one hope. Topping Moore’s mini-masterpiece on Sunday will take some doing.
