It was an excellent weekend for Coolmore’s Justify with City of Troy winning the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket and Ramatuelle taking the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly.
A debut five-furlong winner at Chantilly, Christopher Head's Ramatuelle was defeated on her first attempt over six furlongs at Saint-Cloud. She stepped into Group company for the first time when taking Group 3 Prix du Bois at Chantilly by five lengths in impressive fashion. Unsurprisingly, Ramatuelle started a short-priced favourite for the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin over the same course and distance and justified support. Ridden by Aurelien Lemaitre, the filly was always travelling strongly and took the lead from two furlongs out. She sprinted clear in the final furlong and was eased down, beating Aidan O'Brien's His Majesty by four lengths at the line.
After the race, trainer Christopher Head said: "She was incredible, she loves the speed and she'll be going to the Morny for sure. I just can't wait to get to that race.
"I was not concerned about her being keen as there was nobody who wanted to go in front of her, she's capable of doing better than that, of course. She's pretty much like an older horse, it's a pleasure to see her in races behave this way."
Ramatuelle was bought for 100,000 euros at the 2021 Arqana Yearling Sale and is the first foal out of Raven's Lady (Raven's Pass). A two-time winner at Group level in the UK and Germany, Raven's Lady was 38,000 guineas purchase as a yearling and was sold for 350,000 guineas at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2018 to American connections. She failed to make an impression in Black Type company in the US but did manage to win a fillies claimer at Gulfstream Park before her retirement to stud.
Although Raven's Pass was the only Group performer from her dam Pivotal Lady (Pivotal), the maternal line is heaped with Black Type. Third-dam Sueboog was victorious in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes before a third in the Group 2 Nassau Stakes (promoted to Group 1 status in 1999) but was better known for her exploits at stud. Her second-raced foal was Group 1 winner Best Of The Bests and although her 2006 foal Storming Sioux may not have won on the racetrack, she produced Group 3 Geelong Cup victor and Melbourne Cup third Prince of Arran.
