Face Time Bourbon Repeats In Prix d'Amérique

Published: January 31, 2021 10:04 am EST

Face Time Bourbon overcame a wide uncovered journey in the first 1,200 metres of Sunday's (Jan. 31) €1 million (C$1.54 million) Prix d'Amérique at Hippodrome de Vincennes in Paris before ducking into the pocket up the backstretch and vaulting to a 1-3/4 length victory to join his sire, Ready Cash, as a two-time winner of the prestigious event.

Swedish driver Björn Goop placed Face Time Bourbon in the front flight at the start of the 2,700-metre race, but the pair were looped by Gu D Heripre (Franck Nivard) and shuffled mildly before finding room to angle three-wide without cover with a lap remaining as Gu D Heripre yielded to Bahia Quesnot (Junior Guelpa). Now in the clear, Face Time Bourbon advanced and crossed into the first-over seat with 1,500 metres to go before pressing into the pocket behind Bahia Quesnot up the backstretch. With 650 metres remaining, Goop angled the double millionaire out of the pocket to engulf a tiring Bahia Quesnot and urged him three lengths clear of pursuit from Davidson Du Pont (Jean-Michel Bazire) off the home turn. At the winning post, Face Time Bourbon — driven out the length of the straight — prevailed by 1-3/4 lengths over Davidson Du Pont, while Gu D Heripre re-emerged to narrowly defeat the third-over Delia Du Pommereux (Eric Raffin) for third, another six lengths behind.

Face Time Bourbon, a six-year-old who carries the yellow and green silks of Scuderia Bivans SRL, has now won 29 times in his career for trainer Sébastien Guarato and has earned over €2.6 million (C$4 million).

As the overwhelming odds-on favourite in the field of 18, Face Time Bourbon completed the course in a stakes record 1:10.8 kilometre rate, for an overall race time of 3:11.1 (1:53 4/5 mile rate). Due to public health protocols in place across Europe, the race was contested before an empty grandstand for the first time in its century of history.

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