Thesecretadversary wins Prix Jean Prat

DEAUVILLE – Irish colt Thesecretadversary made all in the €400,000 (S$589,000) Group 1 Prix Jean Prat (1,400m), the first Group 1 race of the summer to be staged at Deauville-La Touques racecourse, on July 12.

Winner of the Group 3 Jersey Stakes (1,400m) at Royal Ascot on June 20 last start, the son of St Mark’s Basilica captured the first Group 1 victory of his career at his 12th start.

Partnered by Christophe Soumillon, Thesecretadversary ($30) led along the stands’ rail before producing a strong turn of foot in the closing stages to repel his rivals’ challenges all the way to the line.

Trained by James Stack – or otherwise known as “Fozzy” – in Ireland, at Thomastown in County Tipperary, Thesecretadversary provided Stack with his first European Group 1 success.

He had previously won a Group 1 race, albeit in the United States, in 2023.

Already successful in this race in 2025 aboard Woodshauna, the Belgian-born and French-based Soumillon, successfully defended his title in the Prix Jean Prat.

Ireland completed the 1-2 thanks to True Love (Ryan Moore). The only filly in the field, trainer Aidan O’Brien’s galloper finished another ½ length away in second.

France was represented on the podium by Nighttime (Maxime Guyon), who finished third for Chantilly-based trainer Christopher Head.

Stack said Soumillon suggested a front-running ride on the three-year-old colt and the tactics paid off.

“Christophe Soumillon gave him a superb ride. We were a little concerned about the pace of the race,” he said.

“He told me, ‘I think we’ll have to go on because nobody else seems willing to do it’. I replied, ‘Go ahead’. Everything worked out perfectly.

“He had pulled too hard in the English Guineas and in the Irish equivalent he never got a clear run.

“We have always believed he was a good horse. When he then won the Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs at Ascot, Seamie Heffernan, who rode him that day, said he would be even better over six furlongs. Christophe Soumillon said exactly the same thing today.

“He holds entries in the City of York Stakes, a Group 1 at York, as well as the (Group 1) Sprint Cup at Haydock.

“I will now discuss the options with the owners to see what they would like to do. Both partners are involved in the stallion business, so I will partly be guided by their long-term objectives.”

Soumillon said the 1,400m could be the limit for the sprinter and dropping back in distance could be the way to go for him.

“Thesecretadversary is a superb horse. He’s tough and very straightforward to ride,” he said.

“The other day at Ascot, he was already beating some very good horses. He had also suffered from several troubled trips earlier in his career, but we knew that certain racecourses perhaps didn’t suit him perfectly.

“When I saw this straight course on a flat track, I thought he would be capable of running a very big race.

“Everything went perfectly throughout the race. I was never really under any pressure and, when I asked him to quicken, he responded extremely well.

“In the closing stages, I had to ask him for everything he had left because I could feel Ryan coming back strongly aboard True Love.

“I think seven furlongs is really the limit of his stamina. Over six furlongs, however, I believe he would be just as effective.

“The logical next step could be the (Group 1) Prix Maurice de Gheest here at Deauville, but there are also some excellent six-furlong races in England.

“First, we’ll see how he comes out of this race. He is a horse with an outstanding temperament, he’s a beautiful individual physically and I’m convinced he still has further improvement to come.”

On the same day, France racing also received the sad news of the death of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani at the age of 74.

Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013, he left a lasting mark on the international racing industry, notably through the development of economic, cultural and sporting partnerships. FRANCE GALOP