Head mapping out Classic campaign for Big Rock

ParisLongchamp winner has Prix du Jockey Club target.

Christopher Head has the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club in his sights having seen Big Rock make all in the Prix la Force at ParisLongchamp.

The Rock Of Gibraltar colt was a Listed winner on the all-weather at Chantilly last month, but was taking a further step up in class for this nine-furlong Group Three assignment.

Big Rock proved more than up to the task and having set a brisk pace from the front in the hands of Aurelien Lemaitre, had enough in reserve to easily brush aside the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained favourite Padishakh and pull two and a half lengths clear at the finish.

Head is now eyeing a run in the Group Three Prix De Guiche won by Vadeni en route to French Derby glory in 2022, before stepping Big Rock up to 10 furlongs for the Jockey Club itself on June 4.

“He is quite a surprise,” said the winning trainer.

“We won a Listed race on the Polytrack with him at the beginning of the season and of course we didn’t know the quality of the horse and if we would be able to go on to the Jockey Club and have that sort of program, but he did the job very well.

“He is a horse who likes to dominate in his race and impact the others with a real race. He did that today and he was quite impressive. The ground was not a problem for him and I think he could do that over even further.

“I still need to talk to the owner to confirm it, but the main idea, provided the horse comes out of the race well, is to go to the Prix de Guiche and then to the Prix du Jockey Club.”

Also in the French capital, Stephane Wattel’s Simca Mille returned to his very best to win the feature Prix d’Harcourt.

A winner four times last season – including when taking the Prix Niel over an extra two furlongs – he bounced back from a disappointing end to the 2022 campaign in the Japan Cup to register the fifth success of his career in the hands of Alexis Pouchin.

There was also little joy for the British and Irish raiders in the Prix Vanteaux as both Richard Hughes’ Sparkling Beauty and Aidan O’Brien’s Delightful struggled to land a blow in a race won in good style by Carlos Laffon-Parias’ Jannah Rose.

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