The Group III Prix des Chenes (1600m) at Chantilly in France overnight produced a new stakes-winner for reigning champion Australian sire Zoustar with talented two year-old Oceans Four claiming his first Black Type win.
Trained by Brian Meehan and ridden by Christophe Soumillon, Oceans Four improved off a last start third in the Group III Solario Stakes at Sandown to dive between runners and score a neck victory.
It was the second win from four starts for the gelding who becomes the 70th stakes-winner worldwide for Widden Stud's Zoustar.
"This was the right race for him after the Solario and I didn't want to go to Newmarket with him next week, so it made sense to supplement him here," said Brian Meehan.
"There's a possibility we'll consider the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) at Del Mar.
"That was one of the reasons for bringing him here for the Group 3, because he needed to win a stakes race to guarantee a spot.
"He's a gelding so there's quite a few races he doesn't qualify for, but that makes things less complicated. He's a lovely horse who I think the world of and he keeps improving."
Oceans Four was bred by Aussie breeder Paul Frampton in partnership with Widden Stud and was sold at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale for £82,000 to Sam Sangster Bloodstock.
He is a half-brother to Group III placed Blatant and is the best of two winners from three to race from unraced Lope de Vega mare Savanne Sauvage (IRE), a three-quarter sister-in-blood to stakes-winners Sasella from the family of Group winners Sevenna’s Knight.
A blue-blood mare whose dam Savanne and grand-dam Sevenna are both Group III winners, Savanne Sauvage is also the dam of a three year-old filly by Zoustar that is now in Australia.
Bred to Northern Hemisphere time, Hammoon Heroine (GB) races here as a 4YO and is in work with Matthew Smith for the Frampton family.
She has had three starts so far and placed in all of them at Kembla, Newcastle and Canterbury, so keep an eye out for her breaking her maiden sooner rather than later!
