De Bruyne Horse to step back up in class following French Listed success
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Plans are in place to step De Bruyne Horse back up to Pattern-race company on his next start.
The Richard Hannon-trained two-year-old gained his third win of the campaign at Vichy on Sunday when landing a Listed prize on his first start over seven furlongs.
Connections are now weighing up two Group Three options for the son of Showcasing, with both the Solario Stakes at Sandown and a race at Baden-Baden under consideration.
Tim Palin, racing manager to owners Middleham Park Racing, said: "We probably got it a little bit wrong with him by dropping back to five and a half for the Papin and sticking at six for so long before that.
"He travelled really well on Sunday and battled all the way to the line. Both him and the second horse pulled away at the finish.
"He is in the sales race (Goffs Premier Yearling Conditions Stakes) at York over six and if it came up soft we would look at that, as one thing he adored on Sunday was the soft ground.
"The logical next step, though, is a Group Three. There is the Solario at Sandown and he is also in the Steinhoff Zukunfts-Rennen at Baden-Baden the same weekend.
"Miss Infinity from Mark Johnston's won the same race we did at the weekend before finishing second in the race in Germany, so that could be good step, although he would have to shoulder a 1kg penalty in that."
Impressive first-time-out winner Tigre Du Terre, who is also trained by Hannon, could bid to bounce back from his defeat in a Listed contest at Ascot in the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes at York later this month.
Palin said: "We think an awful lot of him and the Hannon yard are convinced he is a Group horse.
"I think it was a case of going back to the well too soon with him and they have still got every faith in him. I think that first race took more out of him than we thought.
"We could not believe he got beat at Ascot and Ryan Moore was almost apologetic and said to put a line through it.
"The Acomb is a possibility, although we could stretch him out to a mile for the Prix des Chenes at Chantilly, where he would get his French premiums if he won and it's over the same course and distance as the Lagardere."
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