Luckless second for Notable Speech in G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois

Notable Speech went agonisingly close to emulating the victories of his sire and grandsire as he flew home to go down by a head to Diego Velazquez in the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville, France, on Sunday, 17 August. 

The Charlie Appleby-trained four-year-old, returning to the mile distance of his exhilarating wins in last season’s G1 2,000 Guineas and G1 Sussex Stakes, found plenty of cover in second last of the 10 runners. 

Diego Velazquez and Go To First raced away from the main field initially before tacking over to join the rest of the runners on a tightly packed stands’ rail after the first quarter-mile. 

Notable Speech travelled strongly behind a wall of horses when Dancing Gemini took up the running two furlongs out, although William Buick was forced to wait as a gap failed to present itself approaching the final furlong. 

After finding room, Notable Speech displayed an electric turn of foot inside the final half-furlong, with the Dubawi colt storming up the stands’ rail to get to within a head of Diego Velazquez on the line. 

Charlie Appleby said: “You have to take the positives out of a defeat like that and Notable Speech has shown that he is right back on his top form. William will go home and feel sorry for himself, but I told him that you are either going to be a hero or a villain – that’s the way you have to ride him. He needs burying in a field and, some days you will get it and some days you won’t. Unfortunately, he just had to wait for a stride or two before flying home.

 “On the back of that, I would say that we will head to Canada for the Woodbine Mile and then on to Del Mar for another crack at the Breeders’ Cup Mile.”