David Menuisier's purple patch continues as Tamfana headlines stakes-race double and sparks Classic dreams

Five days after Criterium International hero Sunway spearheaded a Group-race double at Saint-Cloud, David Menuisier was back raiding more euros in his homeland on Friday. And once again it was his promising juvenile squad which did the damage as Tamfana landed the Group 3 Prix Miesque over seven furlongs, while stablemate War Chimes sprang a minor surprise in the Listed Prix Isonomy. 

Marie Velon was in the plate for both victories, as the two fillies showed tenacity in the attritional conditions which carried the official description of heavy at Chantilly for the first time since October 2021.

Menuisier said of Tamfana: "She's my best two-year-old filly and so I expected that. Today was a bit on the sharp side for her, she's more a filly for a mile or a mile and a quarter.

"It certainly wasn't a surprise when you saw how she won the other day. You need to have some talent to win at Kempton by nearly ten lengths. She'll be entered in the Poule d'Essai and the Diane next year as well as all the good races in England."

Carrying the silks of Paul and Clare Voller's Tars Farm Equestrian Stud, War Chimes pulled five lengths clear of the Andre Fabre-trained Sosie in the Prix Isonomy over a mile and one furlong.

War Chimes initiated a Stakes-race double for Menuisier and Velon at Chantilly on FridayCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

Menuisier said: "She stays very well and once the favourite began to crack at the two-furlong marker I was quite confident, while I think it helped her that they went a good gallop. 

"She is bred to improve at three and if you go back four months she didn't know how to run, she was all over the place. We put her out in the field for a month and it completely transformed her."

War Chimes was bred by Chantilly-based trainer Nicolas Clement and is by Summer Front, who did his stakes-winning for brother Christophe Clement in the US.

"I bought her at Arqana last October and she looked a nice filly who maybe lacked a bit of strength at the time," said Menuisier. "I don't know much about the sire, but she's from a good family and I suppose she's surprised us a bit because we thought she'd be a fun filly. 

"This is a great race to win, especially as she was up against the colts."

American Kestrel came close to making it a three-timer for Menuisier on what was due to be her final career start in the Group 3 Prix de Seine-et-Oise, but she found three-year-old Exxtra too strong in the final furlong under Ronan Thomas.

Last seen when rattling home to be sixth in the Prix de la Foret over a furlong further, Exxtra made no mistake from a favoured draw in stall one. 

"She was last turning into the straight in the Foret and produced a remarkable finish, so I was pretty confident," said joint-trainer Yann Lerner. 

"We won't travel her over the winter, she'll have a quiet time at the Haras du Cadran and then we'll prepare her for those good 1,400 metre [seven-furlong] races at Longchamp next year."

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