'This means an awful lot' - Laffon-Parias lands emotional success in Prix Alec Head

Jannah Rose posted an emotional success for Carlos Laffon-Parias in the race previously known as the Prix de la Nonette and now renamed after the late Alec Head, whose granddaughter Patricia is the Arc-winning trainer's wife.

Jannah Rose was unable to justify favouritism when only sixth behind Blue Rose Cen in the Prix de Diane Longines but was always just doing enough to get the better of Lumiere Rock.

"When you're returning a month and a half after a run that was below expectations there are always questions to answer," said Laffon-Parias, "but her last work was very good and she was the logical favourite. You still have to convert the try.

"As you can imagine this means an awful lot. It was always a very prestigious race, with the Prix de la Nonette open to Group 1 winners at level weights and which deserves to be a Group 1. Now it has been rechristened the Prix Alec Head, it will surely be promoted, both for the quality of the race and of the person for whom it is named." 

Coral cut Jannah Rose to 25-1 (from 40) for the Prix de l'Opera and introduced her at 14-1 for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf.

"I feel that 2,000 metres [a mile and a quarter] is pretty much as far as she wants," said Laffon-Parias. "I think we'll skip the Vermeille and go straight to the Prix de l'Opera. She wants nice ground and I think she would be well suited to Santa Anita."

A momentous week for brothers Alain and Gerard Wertheimer ended on a high as Sober fended off British challenger Grand Alliance to win the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay under jockey Maxime Guyon for trainer Andre Fabre.

During the week, the Wertheimers completed the acquisition of the remaining horses owned by the Wildenstein family, which will be absorbed into their own bloodstock empire which already contains Burma Sea, the dam of Sober.

Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for the Wertheimers, said: "I have no idea if he will step up in distance for the Prix du Cadran, but he finished the race still moving forward. We’ll see if we try that or wait for the Prix Royal-Oak."

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