TOO DARN HOT SCORCHES IN PRIX JEAN PRAT. GR.1

John Gosden must have been delighted with Enable’s win in the Gr.1 Eclipse Stakes, but he will be equally as happy with Too Darn Hot’s performance in the Gr.1 Prix Jean Prat, run over 1400m for the first time this year, as the son of Dubawi made light work of the field to notch his second top level success in style.

The field split into three groups, headed by Watan (Toronado) on the rail, Royal Marine (Raven’s Pass) down the centre and Fox Champion (Kodiac), on the far side. The winner tracked Fox Champion and cruised into the last 400m, while Watan still travelled well on the rail and Fox Champion was beginning to run on. With 300m left to run Frankie Dettori began winding Too Darn Hot up and he drifted over to the rail, but, once the turbo kicked in, he pulled readily clear of the strung-out field to score by three lengths from the staying-on Space Blues (Dubawi), who was two lengths ahead of Fox Champion.

Too Darn Hot won all four starts in a juvenile season which saw him crowned European Champion Two-Year-Old, including the Gr.3 Solario Stakes and the Gr.2 Champagne Stakes and culminating in the Gr.1 Dewhurst Stakes, all over today’s 7f (1400m) trip. Having missed the Gr.1 2,000 Guineas through injury, he was stepped up to 1m2f in the Gr.2 Dante Stakes, in which he finished second. He filled the same position when dropped back to a mile, the distance he broke his maiden at, in the Gr.1 Irish 2,000 Guineas and he was third in the Gr.1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

Lord Lloyd-Webber’s homebred is a full-brother to the Gr.2 Middleton Fillies’ Stakes winner Lah Ti Dar, who was runner-up in the Gr.1 St Leger on the same day that Too Darn Hot won the Champagne Stakes and was also third in the Gr.1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud recently, and the Gr.3 Musidora Stakes winner and Gr.1 Prix de l’Opera-placed So Mi Dar. They are out of the Gr.1 Yorkshire Oaks, Gr.1 Pretty Polly Stakes and Gr.1 Dubai Sheema Classic winner Dar Re Mi (Singspiel).