Sagawara triggers upset in Prix Saint-Alary
Sagawara triggered a stunning upset by finishing first on the podium in Montjeu Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary, the high-stakes Group 1 contest that took place at Longchamp racecourse on Sunday, May 27.
The three-year-old grey filly demonstrated an outstanding performance to beat the hot-favourite runner, La Peinture, convincingly.
Under the veteran jockey, Christophe-Patrice Lemaire, the novice runner elegantly clinched success from the jaws of Rjwa who stood as the runner-up after a fierce battle.
The A. De Royer-Dupre-trained filly faced seven strong rivals such as Rjwa, Forces Of Darkness, La Peinture, Crecy, Hasna, Aigue Marine and Prima Noa.
With this epic victory, the brilliant daughter of Shamardal out of Sagalina raised her success ratio to 50 percent. Of her total 4 starts, she has excellently won two, earning £150,737.
Interestingly, the talented sprinter had never been a favourite in her career but she always performed superbly.
Sagawara’s classic triumph was quite an unbelievable for most of the punters who underestimated her before the beginning of the event. Even the trainer was impressed by his pupil’s feat.
While speaking to the media yesterday, Royer-Dupre said, “She's a very well-made filly with a greataction and we decided to make plenty of use of her today. It's the first time I've used them in a Group race and I must thank his work-rider who made the suggestion."
He added, “Usually big-striding horses are well suited to Chantilly and she's one of a couple of possibles we have for the race."
With Rjwa being the runner-up, Forces Of Darkness accomplished third top position in the race. La Peinture finished 4th while Crecy stood 5th.
Hasna and Aigue Marine grabbed 6th and 7th position respectively. Prima Noa was the tail ender.
Sagawara was undisputedly the protagonist of the day. This conquest has made her a strong betting prospect and she is likely to earn a favourite tag for her next outing.
As a whole, Prix Saint-Alary was a thrilling and amazing event. A large number of the sport lovers attended the event. The winner received a lot of appreciation from both the spectators and the bookmakers.
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