Prix Jean Prat goes the way of Helmet's Thunder Snow

Thunder Snow dictated the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly on Sunday from the moment the gates opened to record a second Group 1 victory in France under Christophe Soumillon.

It was the Andre Fabre-trained Trais Fluors who looked the biggest danger when beginning to motor home in the closing stages but Thunder Snow's lead was unassailable and he duly won by one and a quarter lengths.

Thunder Snow had already broken his top-level duck when he provided his then first-season sire, Helmet, with a first European Group 1 winner with a five length victory in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud last year.

His three-year-old season began with victories in the UAE Derby and UAE 2,000 Guineas at Meydan earlier this year before he headed to America to contest the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. But it was not to be after he was pulled up by Soumillon after bucking and kicking when leaving the starting gates.

Thunder Snow reached the places behind Churchill in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and behind Barney Roy in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot before he recorded his victory at Chantilly.

A Darley homebred, Thunder Snow is the fourth foal out of the winning and Group 3-placed Dubai Destination mare Eastern Joy and hails from a family that has been handled by Sheikh Mohammed for several years.

Eastern Joy is out of Sun Chariot Stakes heroine Red Slippers, making her a half-sister to Prix de Diane winner West Wind.

Red Slippers is a half-sister to Sheikh Mohammed's Oaks and Irish Derby winner Balanchine.

Since retiring to the paddocks, Eastern Joy has excelled as a broodmare as all her four runners are stakes winners. Thunder Snow is a half-brother to the Group 3-winning mare First Victory, Group 2 scorer Ihtimal and the Listed-winning Cape Cross mare Always Smile.

There is still plenty to come from the 11-year-old mare as she has a two-year-old filly by Shamardal called Winter Lightning and delivered a colt by the operation's flagship sire, Dubawi, earlier this year.

Thunder Snow is the leading performer for his sire, Helmet, who stood the 2017 breeding season at Dalham Hall Stud at a fee of £10,000.

Ibiza upholds family tradition

A year after her older brother Zelzal scored the biggest victory of his career in the Prix Jean Prat, Ibiza upheld family honour at the meeting with victory in the Group 3 Prix Chloe earlier at Chantilly.

The Nicolas Clement-trained filly produced a strong challenge to long-time leader Monroe Bay and, once in front, asserted her position to win by three-quarters of a length to gain her first black type success.

She was bred by Viktor Timoshenko out of the winning Kingmambo mare Olga Prekrasa, who is out of Opera Aida and in turn is a half-sister to leading hurdler Jack The Giant.

Her sire is none other than Australian sire sensation Redoute's Choice, who spent two seasons shuttling to the Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval in 2013 and 2014.

Ibiza is not the first of his stakes performers in Europe out of a Kingmambo mare as Ballyhane Stud-based Elzaam is out of Mambo In Freeport. As well as finishing second in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2012, Elzaam landed the Listed Carnarvon Stakes 11 months later.

The Arrowfield Stud sire's other leading performers include his record-breaking son Snitzel, multiple Group 1 hero Lankan Rupee and the five-time Group 1-winning mare Miss Finland.