Haras de Saint-Julien working like clockwork after Watch Me's victory

The unfamiliar name of Watch Me's owner Alexander Tamagni masks the fact that the Coronation Stakes winner comes under the guise of connections well-versed in the thoroughbred world.

Indeed, as the French Tricolores were waved in salute of returning jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot and trainer Francis Graffard, it was surprising not to see one or two red and white crosses in the terraces above the winner's enclosure.

Alexander’s mother, and Watch Me’s very proud breeder is Antoinette Tamagni, Swiss born and the other half of Patrick Chedeville, whose Haras du Petit Tellier is a Normandy institution.

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Antoinette, whose previous best effort had been producing the Group 3 Prix d’Arenberg victress This Time, has established a separate breeding entity to Chedeville's and acquired Watch Me’s dam Watchful, a winning Galileo mare for Luca Cumani, for just €22,000 at Arqana in December 2015.

"I’ve been breeding with Petit Tellier for 20 years but for three years I’ve had my own stud and this is the first filly out of Haras de Saint-Julien, which is half an hour from Deauville," she said.

"Petit Tellier is a commercial stud, we bought Elvstroem as a stallion and he stands there, but Haras de Saint-Julien is private, and there are only my mares there. All that I have learned is from my husband, and now I’m trying it on my own!

"I wanted a Galileo mare for Elvstroem and I bought her in-foal to Olympic Glory, which is how we have Watch Me. She’s a bonus!"

Watch Me, bred in partnership with Cocheese Bloodstock Anstalt, had landed the Prix Imprudence Classic trial in narrow fashion but finished only sixth in a messy Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, leading to her 20-1 price tag as she outpointed hot favourite Hermosa by a length and a half.

Watch Me had a few patriotic supporters in the crowdCredit: Edward Whitaker

"She had a really bad race in the Guineas in France," the breeder explained. "Before that I was really confident but the Guineas was so bad I wasn’t sure whether we’d go to Ascot or not. I knew she had the speed to be in the first three and I felt if she got in the first three I would be happy. I couldn’t be confident.

"First we wanted to go in the Prix Rothschild in Deauville but now after the win, I don’t know. I’ll let her go home, see how she is, and then we’ll see what we do with her with the trainer."

Antoinette Tamagni has 35 mares on her own premises. There are further progeny of Watchful on the horizon and one has departed for another of the sport's illustrious names.

"Watch Me has three brothers by Elvstroem," she revealed. "The two-year-old is with John Oxx, and he’s called Watchmen. I’m good friends with John, that’s the reason he went there. Then there’s a yearling who I’ll call Watch Him and put in the sale this summer."

Oddly for a filly who is now worth a small fortune, Watch Me failed to shift at Arqana herself in August 2017, going back to Tamagni’s care at €30,000.

"The policy is hopefully to keep the good fillies for breeding and selling the colts," she said. "I put them in the sale and if they don’t make the reserve, I buy them back and keep them for myself. But now the fillies aren’t on the market! I’ll sell if I have the mother or sisters still. The best thing would be to have 25 mares, but I always find myself with 35."

And of Alexander, his mother reported that he was "very happy" to be a Group 1-winning owner. "All the stud’s horses are running under my son’s colours. I want to involve him, that’s the reason I’m doing it!"

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