Cachet came even closer than Mother Earth did 12 months ago to recording a rare QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (G1)—Emirates French One Thousand Guineas (G1) double, but it was Mangoustine—carrying the black and silver colors of his former NBA Championship team, the San Antonio Spurs—that catapulted Tony Parker into the classic winners' circle after barely a year as a racehorse owner.
"It's like a dream!"
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 15, 2022
Former NBA star @tonyparker gets his first Group 1 as an owner with Mangoustine, and tells @KfordEquidia that a trip to @Ascot is not off the cards! 🏀 pic.twitter.com/h2hIL2wQJm
The daughter of Dark Angel also took trainer Mikel Delzangles back to the summit of the sport, nine years after Flotilla won this race for him, while the imperishable Gerald Mosse continues to stave off talk of retirement at 55, with his newly acquired trainer's license not yet ready to be taken out of the office drawer.
Mangoustine was unbeaten at two, and although that record went when she finished third in her trial, Delzangles had left plenty to work on.
"Everyone knew she was a good filly last year, and I thought it was a very good comeback run in the Prix de la Grotte (G3)," said Delzangles, who took over the care of Mangoustine when her initial trainer, Frederic Rossi, was suspended last November.
"I gave her a quiet buildup to that race and she came on a lot, although it was still a big ask to win the big one.
Gerald didn't take the route I expected, as he was three wide with no cover, but the filly relaxed, they went a good gallop and she stayed out of trouble. At the end she was able to show her class."
What a finish! Mangoustine narrowly beats Cachet and Times Square in the Group 1 @Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches for Gerald Mosse, Mikel Delzangles and part-owner @tonyparker at @paris_longchamp! pic.twitter.com/nVgdFGKQaC
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 15, 2022
Flotilla went on to contest the Prix de Diane Longines-French Oaks (G1), but it will be Royal Ascot next for Mangoustine, who was cut to 6-1 (from 20) by Coral for the June 17 Coronation Stakes (G1).
"A mile looks like her trip, and on both sides of the pedigree she shouldn't stay further, so we won't try anything clever," Delzangles said. "Logically, the Coronation Stakes will be next, albeit it's a much stiffer mile than here."
Delzangles enjoyed phenomenal success around the turn of the decade before enduring a barren spell when sickness afflicted his string on a number of occasions.
He added: "We had a few quiet years, but the stable has been in much better form the last two years. It's hugely satisfying, and you need a bit of luck to come across a filly like her."
"We had a lovely run until the middle of the false straight when I didn't have any cover, but she didn't panic, she didn't pick up (the bit)," Mosse said. "When I said to her it's time to go, she really gave me a good feel and kicked very hard.
"And she fought to the line, because the English filly was tough and she came back at me. But she always had something up her sleeve."
One of the most popular sporting figures in France, Parker's arrival as an owner has already been hailed as a huge boost for the profile to the sport, with his openness to communicate with potential new fans a breath of fresh air.
"It's a leg of the French Triple Crown, and to win one after just a year is incredible," said Parker, who gave a press conference to announce the launch of his Infinity Nine racing team at Longchamp the week of Royal Ascot in 2021. A year on he will be heading to the royal racecourse with a group 1-winning filly.
"It's like winning a championship ring, and I get a similar adrenaline rush to winning an NBA title as a player. It's why I've loved this adventure, and I've been lucky enough to meet some wonderful people in the world of racing, who have so much passion."
A rematch with Cachet at Royal Ascot is likely. Despite suffering her first defeat of the season, George Boughey was proud of the effort his filly put in, raising admiring cheers from the Highclere Wild Flower syndicate on her return to be unsaddled.
"She's run a blinder and she's shown her tenacity once again," Boughey said. "She had to do all of the donkey work, and I thought she might have been third, but she's battled back.
"I'm sure there are more big races in her, and to finish second just two weeks after Newmarket is a compliment to her. The draw possibly cost us, and she'll go for the Coronation Stakes now."
