Promising three-year-old colt Onesto, who hails from the immediate family of Mauritzfontein’s successful resident sire Ideal World, stamped himself a likely contender for this year’s G1 Qatar Prix Du Jockey Club (French Derby), when he won Sunday’s G2 Prix Greffuhle.
Promising filly, Agave, belatedly got the better of a protracted battle with Sir Bob Parker for second place but had no answer to Onesto, who surged down the outside after being held up by Stephane Pasquier.
The pair burst away to score by two and a half lengths, with Onesto now looking very much like a potential classic contender.
The son of Frankel was last seen when a modest eighth in the Prix de Fontainebleau – a key trial for the French Guineas – and clearly relished the step up from a mile to 1m2½f.
“It was too short for him last time. He’s by Frankel out of a Sea The Stars mare and stamina is there throughout the family, so this is the first time he’s run over the right distance,” said trainer Fabrice Chappet.
On Pasquier’s patient tactics, he added: “He had a bad draw [six out of six] and has a good turn of foot, so we decided to respect him. It’s a prep race again.He has the pedigree for that [a mile and a half] but we’ll go step by step. We’ll go for the Jockey Club first and take it from there.”
Now twice a winner from four starts, Onesto is out of the Sea The Stars mare Onshore -whose granddam Kerali also ranks as the third dam of Ideal World.
