Pour Moi wins Investec Derby 2011 at Epsom, Trainer Andre Fabre, Jockey Mickael Barzalona
Pour Moi displayed a powerful performance to dominate his peers and to win the Epsom Derby by a head. A French-trained horse has not won the Epsom Derby since 1976.
Jockey, Mickael Barzalona, threw his hands in the air in absolute joy of victory even before crossing the finish line.
Pour Moi’s trainer, the legendary, Andre Fabre, had never won the English Derby untill now. For nineteen years he has been a champion trainer in all of France and winning races in Europe and winning four Breeders’ Cups in North America.
The last horse Andre Fabre trained was Manduro, who won him the Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris and went on to become the World Champion Thoroughbred race horse.
Both trainer and jockey won their first Epsom Derby. Jockey, Mickael Barzalona, who is just 19 years of age, won it in his first attempt at the classic.
"I always felt confident during the race, and even though I was at the back the other good horses were just in front of me”, Barzalona told England’s Press Association. “It is fantastic and I don't realize yet what has happened".
Queen Elizabeth II’s Carlton house was had odds of 5-2 to win but had trouble running and finished third in the race.
English fans were hoping that Queen Elizabeth’s horse, Carlton House, would win, but it was the French-trained Pour Moi, who dashed the Royal family’s hopes of ending a 102 year winless drought, at the Epsom Derby.
It was Carlton House’s best run by a mile and we can expect more in coming races from the son of Street Cry.
The most interesting fact about the race was the double acceleration showed by Pour Moi and that is the sign of a special horse. It was the bay colt’s third win in five starts, a win that earned his trainer the Epsom Derby, which eluded him for so long. He became the first Frenchman to win it in 35 years.
Among other horses, Treasure Beach came in second and got beaten by Pour Moi by a head to the wire.
For the first four, or, five lengths, Aiden O’Brien’s, Memphis Tennessee set the early pace but Treasure Beach made the first move among the contenders and went on to lead the next two furlongs but he could not put a significant amount of distance between himself and the rest of the lot.
Inability to widen the gap provided an opportunity for the latter runners to come from behind. Carlton House then took charge and had sustained a reasonable speed throughout the race but flattened out late.
It was a come-from-behind win for Pour Moi and maybe the inability of the runners ahead of him to sustain their distance provided an opportunity for him.
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