Wooded delivers a Group 1 winner in his first crop

WOODED sired his first Group 1 winner on Sunday at Deauville as WOODSHAUNA came out on top in a vintage edition of the Prix Jean Prat. The son of Tosen Shauna (by Alhebayeb) reversed the Prix Djebel form on Maranoa Charlie despite being drawn widest of all in stall 9, confirming the strength of his seasonal progression.

Switched off early by Christophe Soumillon, WOODSHAUNA was launched with precision inside the final 400 metres and showed a potent turn of foot to settle the outcome. It was a second consecutive Group win for the colt, who had previously landed the Gr.3 Prix Texanita over 1200m.

Speaking to Equidia, Christophe Soumillon said: “As soon as he got daylight, he just exploded – he has such acceleration. I love this horse, especially over a sprint trip. His run at Chantilly last time was very strong – the form looks outstanding now considering we beat the Ascot Group 1 winner that day.”

Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard added: “He’s a lovely horse and his form is strong. We decided to skip Ascot and I wanted the horse to be strong for this race – and it worked out. He has a lot of speed and I think seven furlongs is his limit. We’ll see whether we come back in trip or stick to this distance, but this was a big step up today. Christophe gave him a very good ride and he took the right lead throughout.”

He went on: “Every time I have stepped him up in class, he has responded. I think if he had been closer in the Djebel, he would have been very dangerous. Based on that form, and what I see every day, I wasn’t afraid to take on that field today.”

WOODSHAUNA was bred by Haras de Magouet and races in the colours of Resolute Bloodstock.

Congratulations to his breeders and to all connections!