Group 1 Targets Considered For Unbeaten Footstepsinthesand Colt

Midak (3c Footstepsinthesand – Minya, by Sinndar) made it three from three with a commanding victory in Friday’s Group 3 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud.

Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for owner/breeder the Aga Khan Studs, the Footstepsinthesand colt made an impressive debut at Lyon in March and followed up a month later at Chantilly. The chesnut led from an early stage under Mickael Barzalona and was asked to quicken when challenged approaching the two-furlong marker. Ridden soon after, he kept on well to score by two and a half lengths, while the favourite Uther (Camelot) finished strongly in third.

“We've always liked him and he had a few issues at two, but he showed ability quite early,” the Aga Khan Studs’ racing manager Nemone Routh later revealed. “We were a little surprised with how easily he did it on debut at Lyon-La Soie and then we were very happy with how he did it last time, though he was still immature and was looking around all over the place.

“He's really improving with racing and hopefully there's still more to come. He's not entered in the Jockey Club and he wasn't entered in the Grand Prix de Paris either but, like Surabad, thanks to France Galop, he's now earned a free supplementary for the race. His dam had a lot of stamina and that's more the race I see him in.”