Henri Matisse Surges to Win French Two Thousand Guineas

Aidan O'Brien rarely misses, and he certainly doesn't miss for long. The master of Ballydoyle has responded to Godolphin's clean sweep of the Newmarket Classics—with the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) thrown in for good measure—with a charge as powerful as that produced up the Longchamp straight by Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner Henri Matisse (IRE) May 11. Barely a race for the classic generation has escaped him this week. To add to his staggering haul of the Cheshire Oaks, Vase, Dee, Lingfield's Derby and Oaks Trials, the Naas Oaks Trial and Leopardstown Derby Trial, he won his first classic of the season as the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (French Two Thousand Guineas, G1) fell just right for Henri Matisse. If that makes it sound like chance, it was not. Sean Levey deserves much credit for rousting stablemate Serengeti (FR) into the early lead and setting a furious gallop. The pair may have finished last, but they very much deserve the assist as O'Brien conceded, perhaps fittingly for a horse named after a ground-breaking artist, that Henri Matisse is quite the character. "Ryan (Moore) gave him a great ride," said the trainer, who is always keen to place the credit elsewhere. "He's a very good horse, but he doesn't like getting to the front early, so Ryan gave him a class ride. "When he gets there, he just waits a little bit, so you need a bit of luck in running, but he gets the trip very well. Ryan was always going to play him late and it was an evenly run race and when the race is like that, everyone gets a chance." Reflecting on the yard's red-hot form with their 3-year-olds since last weekend's Guineas, he added: "Last weekend didn't work out for us and sometimes it doesn't. It went against us but others got their day. We know how difficult it is and so much has to fall in your favor to win any race. When it happens, we really celebrate it." That celebration was in no small part thanks to Moore, who has somehow mastered the impossibly difficult art of just getting it right, to the point it is absolutely taken for granted these days. Here the jockey sat a way off the roaring gallop set by Levey and, knowing those in front had been afforded a fair start but his mount would also pull up in front, he somehow managed to judge it to perfection. As the field straightened up, second-favorite Jonquil (GB) was on the heels of the leaders, with Moore a further seven lengths back and niggling away. And yet there was almost an inevitability to the fact he would get up as he came between runners to hit the front with half a furlong to run. The margin was just a head at the line, with a brief stewards' inquiry waved away after the fifth Ridari (FR) suffered interference in the closing stages when coming with a late run. O'Brien, who also trained the third Camille Pissarro (IRE), added it would likely be Royal Ascot next for the winner. "He's a fast horse," he said. "It's a very strong possibility he could go to the St James's Palace as he loves fast ground and quickens very well."