Prix de Pontarme - Diego Ventura

Prix de Pontarme

Paris Longchamp 15/5/25

“Bon Souple 3,3”

3YO Listed race - 1,400m - €27,500

1:20.87 - Finishing Speed 98.7%

A strong pace set by Scandalo (5th) who took just 23.02s to reach the 2nd furlong pole (11.20s 2nd furlong at 65.2 km/h). Couldn’t sustain that pace and eventually faded, but did lead the field with 400m to run. A rating of 43-kilos is fair, but he probably needs to drop in class to win a race.

Given how closely he tracked the leader, Diego Ventura has produced a career best to win this. Shaken up in the early stages by Christophe Soumillon to keep himself in touch, he challenged on the leaders left-hand side. Headed in the final furlong by the runner-up, he has dug deep to get back in front and win by a head. There were 5 races over this course and distance on the card, this race ranked 2nd on the times and the 3YO handicap that came after, although faster, was a 16-runner handicap where several horses set up a fast pace from the stalls. He had been no match for Cosmic Year at Newmarket last time, but that race had a finishing speed of 103% and he was only 0.58s slower than the winner over the final quarter of a mile. He would surely stay a mile now on this evidence. The BHA Handicapper rates him at 104 and there is probably a little more to come after this.

Epson Blue Cen (2nd) didn’t lead this time, but that was probably a good thing. Traveled better and reversed the form with Afogado. She had every chance and got her head in front in the final furlong, but was ultimately outstayed by the winner, finishing in 11.45s (0.09s slower than the winner), though quicker than Diego Ventura over the last 3-furlongs overall. She will find easier races than this, especially against her own sex and is surely capable of winning at Listed/G3 level as a 3-year-old.

Afogado was the fastest horse over the final 3-furlongs in 33.50s, but given the strong pace and the fact that he was waited with, he might have got closer to the winner. On both his recent starts he has finished well, but he is surely ready for a mile now.

Libyan Pharoah raced in 4th. He made his challenge on the far side, which was perhaps the slowest part of the track on the day, but he still had every chance in the closing stages and didn’t get there. A final furlong of 11.48s confirms that he wasn’t fast enough at the end of the race. He may be suited by a mile, but there is enough evidence now to suggest that he isn’t quite up to this level. An official rating of 44-kilos might be tempting in a Quinte handicap instead.