Jerome Reynier is looking forward to taking on some of Australia's best equine stars when saddling the unbeaten Lazzat in the valuable Golden Eagle Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday.
Unbeaten in six career outings to date, the flashy bay has gone from strength-to-strength since making a winning debut over seven-and-a-half furlongs at Cagnes-sur-Mer in January. After back-to-back Group 3 triumphs at Deauville and Longchamp earlier in the season, Reynier's charge was ready to take on the top level, putting his unbeaten record on the line in the process.
With the likes of the Group 1 July Cup Stakes hero Mill Stream standing in his way, Lazzat faced his toughest task to date when he returned to Deauville for the six-and-a-half furlong Prix Maurice de Gheest in August. But as was the case on his previous five outings, none of his rivals could match the finishing kick that he possessed, with Reynier's charge quickening up smartly to claim the Group 1 prize by a commanding three lengths.
So, what next for Reynier's latest star? A seven-furlong Group 1 winner owned by Khazakhstani breeder Nurlan Bizakov who seemingly has the world at his feet. The Group 1 Prix de la Foret would have been the obvious next step but with Lazzat gelded prior to winning his maiden, the door was seemingly left open to roll the dice. A trip to Australia beckoned for Lazzat, with Rosehill's Golden Eagle Stakes nominated as his big autumn target.
"He's been travelling really well, he's in good shape and we're happy with him," said Reynier.
"When he won the Prix Maurice de Gheest, he'd been staying up in Deauville for three weeks, but I just wanted to see how he could adapt himself to a new environment and I was very pleased with the way he has been."
With a staggering 10 million Australian dollars on offer for the Golden Eagle, Reynier was quick to admit that prize money was the driving factor behind his three-year-old's Southern Hemisphere target.
"If he was a colt, obviously we would have been keeping him here in France to run in Prix de la Foret for his stallion career, but he's a gelding and we go where the money is," said the Marseille-born handler.
"The Golden Eagle is unbelievable prize money. It's crazy, ten million Australian dollars. That's more than if you win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, it's more than three million euros for the winner. So obviously it's a good challenge. His owner really wants to have some runners in Australia, he's got his agreement over there, he's got his silks and that's his dream. It's part of a dream to be able to send an unbeaten racehorse in six starts – a Group 1 winner, one of the best in Europe over that kind of trip."
Lazzat will have to overcome a new set of challenges as he bids to become the first European-trained horse to win the Golden Eagle, with ground conditions likely to be fast and the pace of the race often frantic up front. However, while Reynier is respectful of the task ahead for his contender, he certainly has maximum faith that Lazzat holds all the attributes it will take to be competitive at one of Sydney's premier tracks.
"We know he stays 1500m no problem, there will be plenty of pace and I think the set-up of the race should be ideal for him," said a bullish Reynier. "In the Prix Maurice de Gheest, he raced next to the leader and didn't need anything to go with him. He's got so much natural speed and could be a sprinter. His owner was thinking about running in the Sprint Cup at Haydock before travelling to Australia, but I didn't want to switch him about too much because obviously, we would like him to stay over one mile."
He added: "He'll stay the trip and the more pace there will be, the better that will be for him because if they go too fast, they will struggle towards the end of the race, and he will be coming with his stamina to catch them."
On the prospect of encountering quick ground, Reynier said: "The Prix Maurice de Gheest was 3.3 (on the going stick), they say that's like good, good to soft. But it's good, it would be considered proper good ground in England. The time was pretty fast – 1:15 for 1300m straight. So, I think he can handle anything, he's a real champion."
The son of Territories has been ridden by Sardinian-born jockey Antonio Orani on all six of his outings to date and while many may have looked to an Australian-based rider, Reynier confirmed the French-based pilot would retain the partnership.
"The plan is to keep him with Antonio," said Reynier. "Rosehill is not a tricky track, it's straightforward so we'd prefer someone who knows the horse rather than someone who knows the track. It's a team experience, and we really want to share this experience all together, because we started all together."
While Reynier is yet to saddle a runner in Australia, he does have plenty of experience travelling horses and already boasts an impressive international CV, with the likes of Royal Julius, Marianafoot and Facteur Cheval all successful across the Middle East.
"I've always been a big fan of travelling horses all over the place," explained Reynier. "We've been to Bahrain to win the first edition of the Bahrain International Trophy a few years ago. We've been winning in Qatar. We won the Dubai Turf with Facteur Cheval, so I really enjoy travelling horses all over the place.
"This will be a new experience. I've been to Australia before with the Darley Flying Start programme back in 2007. It's funny – a few years later, you could come up with one of the best racehorses in the world to try and compete in one of the most valuable races in the world. It's very exciting."
