Saint-Cloud (Gr.3) : l’extraterrestre Maranoa Charlie

THOMAS BRYON PRICE (Gr.3). Amazing during his first two public outings, where he had lost his rivals en route, Maranoa Charlie was the overwhelming favorite at 1.2/1 for the 2024 Thomas Bryon Prize. As is very often the case with Christopher Head’s protégés, the 2-year-old was been in front, setting a huge pace in the race. 400 meters from the post, Aurélien Lemaître turned around to see his lead, and Maranoa Charlie finally won by 8 lengths without his jockey asking him for the maximum. His mentor Christopher Head maintains that it is the best horse he has trained to date. Given the style of his successes, Maranoa Charlie is already shaping up to be one of the favorites for the Spring Classics.

Acquired for €220,000 as a yearling last August at Arqana by Laurent Benoit (Broadhurst Agency), Maranoa Charlie is a student of Haras d’Etreham. He is a son of former house stallion Wootton Bassett and Koubalibre, a winner at Longchamp for Freddy Head. Maranoa Charlie’s aunt Tiggy Wiggy won the Cheveley Park Stakes (Gr.1) for training Richard Hannon. It was then acquired by Coolmore for 2.1 million Gns in Tattersalls.