In the Impressionists’ garden, the talented Camille Pissarro put the finishing touch to his masterpiece

Ballydoyle Colt Shines in Prix du Jockey Club, Further Boosting Wootton Bassett's French Turf Legacy

Camille Pissarro Crowned France’s Top 3-Year-Old / FRANCE GALLOP

CHANTILLY, Francia (Special for Turf Diario).- The story of the G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club—the opening leg of the newly launched Arc Races circuit—was written long before the Chantilly straight came into view. As the field swung into the sweeping final bend, 1000 meters from home and just past the iconic Chantilly stables, the trio that would make up the trifecta—Camille Pissarro (Wootton Bassett), Cualificar (Lope de Vega), and Detain (Wootton Bassett)—had already assumed stalking positions just behind the pacesetters, including Trinity College (Dubawi), who would ultimately settle for fourth.

Among the top five finishers, only Azimpour (Dubawi), representing the Aga Khan silks, managed to make up late ground, edging past his stablemate Ridari (Churchill) to claim fifth. In a race where early position proved decisive, those forced wide—many of them hampered by a poor draw—never factored in the stretch. When high-class horses secure the rail at Chantilly, there’s little margin for those chasing outside.

The winner, Camille Pissarro, is conditioned at Ballydoyle by the masterful Aidan O’Brien, but he has clearly made France his home away from home. The colt captured last year’s G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère at two, and returned three weeks ago to finish third in the G1 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

A son of the increasingly influential Wootton Bassett—who first rose to prominence in France before relocating to Coolmore Stud in Ireland—Camille Pissarro also carries deep French bloodlines on his dam’s side. His dam produced G1 winner Golden Horde (Lethal Force), now standing at Haras de Montfort et Préaux in Normandy.

In the Poule d’Essai, Camille Pissarro was beaten by his stablemate Henri Matisse, another son of Wootton Bassett, both colts named in tribute to great masters of French art. It would seem that the impressionist spirit runs through their veins.

For Aidan O’Brien, widely regarded as one of the world’s premier trainers, the result marked a second consecutive win in the French Derby after years of near misses—and one that came with high praise.

“After the Poule, Christophe Soumillon got off the horse and said: ‘Take him to the Jockey Club,’” O’Brien recounted. “He’s a miler, but he gets 2000 meters, and that’s exactly what you need to win this French Derby. He’s always been a colt we held in high regard. Last year, he was our best hope for the Coventry Stakes, even though he was still green. He really matured in the second half of the season, which is why we aimed for the Jean-Luc Lagardère.”

“As for the rest of his campaign, we’ll go race by race,” he added. “The owners will talk to the jockey, and then we’ll make a decision. He’s a horse with a lot of speed.”