Product Code Database
Le Marmot (14 May 1976 – 1981) was a French Thoroughbred horse racing and sire. He won two of his three race as a two-year-old in 1978 including the Prix La Rochette before emerging as a top-class performer in the following year when he won the Prix Greffulhe, Prix Hocquart and Prix Niel as well as finishing second in the Prix du Jockey Club and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and third in the Washington, D.C. International. As a four-year-old he defeated the Arc de Triomphe winner Three Troikas in the Prix Ganay and also won the Prix Niel. Le Marmot was rated one of the ten best racehorses in Europe in both 1979 and 1980. He had little opportunity to prove himself as a sire of winners, dying in 1981 at the age of five.
As a yearling, Le Marmot was sent to the sales and was bought for 205,000 francs (approximately £24,200) by Rodolph Schafer. The colt was sent into training with François Boutin at Chantilly and was ridden in most of his races by Philippe Paquet.
On 3 June at Chantilly, Le Marmot was matched against Top Ville the winner of the Prix de Guiche and the Prix Lupin in the Group One Prix du Jockey Club over 2400 m at Chantilly. Starting the 6/4 second favourite, he was outpaced when Top Ville went more than three lengths clear of the field in the straight but closed the gap in the last 300 m to finish second by a length, with Sharpman five lengths back in third.
After a break of three months, Le Marmot returned for the Prix Niel at Longchamp on 9 September, when he faced Top Ville for the second time. He was in contention from the start before moving up to dispute the lead in the straight. In a closely contested finish he prevailed by a neck and head from Fabulous Dancer and Kamaridaan, with Top Ville a length and a half further back in fourth place. On 7 October, Le Marmot started the 7.25/1 third favourite for the 58th running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe over 2400 m at Longchamp. Le Marmot raced just behind the leaders before taking the lead from Northern Baby in the straight. He was quickly overtaken by the filly Three Troikas but held on to take second place from the English-trained favourite Troy. In November, Le Marmot was sent to the United States to represent France in the Washington, D.C. International at Laurel Park Racecourse. Paquet attempted to restrain the colt in a slowly run race and found himself boxed in on the rails in the straight. The colt finished strongly, but appeared an unlucky loser, finishing third behind Bowl Game and Trillion.
In July, Le Marmot was sent to England and started favourite for Britain's most prestigious weight-for-age race, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes over one and a half miles at Ascot Racecourse. Despite his position in the betting, the colt was not at his best, having had an injury in training which disrupted his preparation and then picking up a knock to his hock when being shipped from France: Paquet was under instructions to withdraw the horse if he showed any sign of lameness before the start. Le Marmot was never going well and hung badly to the left in the last half mile before finishing fifth behind Ela-Mana-Mou.
Le Marmot prepared for his second attempt at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with a run in the Prix Foy on 14 September. Starting the 4/10 favourite, he looked unlikely to win until the final 100 m, when he produced what Timeform described as "a terrific run" to catch the filly Anifa and win by a short neck. On 5 October, Le Marmot started 2/1 favourite for the 57th running of the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: he was coupled in the betting with Ela-Mana-Mou, as the Irish breeder Tim Rogers owned a share in both horses. He was among the early leaders but dropped back and eventually finished eighth behind Detroit. He was subsequently found to be lame and did not race again.
|
|
