Henri Matisse with rally, Zarigana by DQ win France Guineas

Ireland multinational power Coolmore has a habit of naming its horses after great men. A little more than two years ago, for example, it named a foal Henri Matisse after the great master of modern painting.

The equine Henri Matisse won the Group 1, $671,500 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, France’s 2,000 Guineas on Sunday at ParisLongchamp. It was the second top-level victory for the Wootton Bassett colt. He also finished first in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Del Mar.

Racing 1,600 meters, about a mile, on the right-handed turf course rated good, post-time favorite Henri Matisse (2-1) set course and stakes records with his winning time of 1:33.91. Ridden by Ryan Moore for trainer Aidan O’Brien, he broke the course record by 0.19 seconds and the race mark by 0.59 seconds.

“We’re really delighted,” O’Brien said. “It’s a win for the whole team.”

When the early speed wilted, England-based stalker Jonquil (7-1) and mid-pack runner Henri Matisse took over. Henri Matisse raced past his inside-running rivals to finish first by a head over Jonquil, a Lope de Vega colt trained by Andrew Balding and piloted by Oisín Murphy.

“(Henri Matisse) doesn’t like to go to the front too early,” O’Brien said. “When a race is really selective like today’s, generally everyone has a chance. Henri Matisse is really like that with this ability to change gear after being relaxed in the race. He was able to get going again when he was attacked.”

Racing in his first Group 1 stakes, Jonquil impressed his trainer.

“Oisín gave him a wonderful run,” Balding said. “It’s frustrating not to win, of course, but the horse is running really well.”

Camille Pissarro (7-1), another Wootton Bassett colt owned by Coolmore and trained by O’Brien, rallied under Christophe Soumillon down the middle of the course to finish third, another length behind. Luther (46-1) missed the board by a short neck and came in fourth in the field of 16 3-year-olds.

Royal Ascot next month is among the options for the top finishers, but O’Brien said a race at Chantilly on June 1 could be next for Henri Matisse.

“Coming back to France for the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) is a real possibility,” he said. “It depends on what the lads (from Coolmore) want. We could also think about the St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot.”

“We have quite a few options now,” Balding said about Jonquil. “He’s entered in the Jersey Stakes (G3) and the St. James’s Palace Stakes, among others. ... We have to work out which race will suit him best.”

Zarigana wins after DQ in Pouliches

Nosed out at the finish, Aga Khan Studs homebred Zarigana was promoted after a stewards inquiry erased Shes Perfect’s first-place finish in the $568,000 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1), France’s equivalent of the 1,000 Guineas for 3-year-old fillies.

Shes Perfect (18-1) held the late lead racing down the middle of the course. But the England-based Sioux Nation filly owned by the Basher Watts Racing 2 syndicate and ridden by Kieran Shoemark drifted significantly in the homestretch, and she severely hampered Zarigana (4-5). It took several minutes before stewards reversed the order of the first two.

“The inquiry time felt long and stressful,” winning trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said. “We don’t like winning races this way, and I feel sorry for the Shes Perfect team. But this is racing. ... To be honest, my filly was unbalanced at the worst possible moment, and at the end, we’re only talking about a nose. ... I’m really happy for Zarigana. She deserved a win of this magnitude. I would have been very frustrated to lose by a nose again with her.”

Now 4-for-5, Zarigana is an Aga Khan Stud homebred by Siyouni who suffered her only loss by a nose. That was Oct. 6 in the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) over the same course and distance as Sunday’s race.

Shes Perfect, whose only win came three starts back in her August debut, was making her first start in a Group 1 race.

“We came so close,” Shes Perfect’s trainer Charlie Fellowes said. “It’s heartbreaking, because I really needed a big win. Winning a classic, that’s the dream of my life.”

Graffard and the family of the late Aga Khan had two of their Chantilly-based finishers hit the board. Mandanaba (6-1), a daughter of Ghaiyyath who races in the silks of Princess Zahra Aga Khan, came home a length behind in third.

Exactly (7-1), a Frankel filly trained by O’Brien, finished fourth in the field of 13.

The final time was a stakes-record 1:34.05 for the 1,600 meters on good to soft turf. The previous record was 1:34.77 set by Flotilla in 2013.

Graffard said the France’s version of the Oaks on June 15 would be next for the Zarigana.

“Mandanaba should step up in trip and head to the Prix de Diane (G1),” he said. “For Zarigana, we still need to talk. I’m not sure she needs to go longer. If we keep her over a mile, the Coronation Stakes (G1) at Ascot (June 21) is an option.”