Team Jabracadabra chasing some magic

PARIS – Everybody loves a fairy tale and were Jabracadabra to get his head in front in the €350,000 (S$500,000) Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak (3,100m) at Saint-Cloud on Oct 25, that would seal the deal.

From the small yard of Englishwoman Amy Murphy, the French-bred three year-old gelding by Cracksman had not been considered a candidate for a race of this calibre until the seed was set when winning a Listed race over 2,400m at Craon by three lengths on Sept 5.

On the back of this he was given the green light for a shot at the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay (3,000m) at ParisLongchamp on Arc weekend on Oct 3, and duly obliged with a convincing two-length success.

Ebbe Verhestraeten, who has been riding for Murphy since she set up in Chantilly in 2025, has partnered him on both occasions and will be aboard once again this weekend.

Given considerable responsibility in the yard, the 23 year-old Belgian has been a key cog in the Murphy enterprise and victory on Sunday would not only take the trainer’s standing to a new level, but would open more doors for the young jockey.

For him, 2026 has been the highlight of a journey which began at AFASEC (French academy) racing school nine years ago, and the gelding’s recent form has allowed the stable to dream of something bigger.

“Jabracadabra has been a bit disappointing in Deauville before the Craon race, but to be fair, he did not get his ground and the race was too fast,” said Verhestraeten.

“But I kept my faith in him and I knew he was in very good shape before the Craon race. After he won, it made us dream even bigger.”

The young man pinched himself when Jabracadabra gave him his first Group success in the Chaudenay.

“We didn’t expect that at all, and it was even better because some of my family members were there on Arc day,” he said.

“It was a step-up to another level for both the horse and myself, and that’s why I feel a strong attachment to him.

“He’s a horse who doesn’t need a lot of work in between races. He’s fit and we just gave him a wind-opener this week.

“It’s been an amazing year for me, but if I win my first Group 1 this weekend, it’ll be even more amazing.”

A classic open to both geldings and older horses, the 165-year-old Prix Royal-Oak is France’s equivalent of the British St. Leger Stakes and one of Europe’s oldest classics.

It is the longest Group 1 race on the French flat calendar and has this year attracted other top stayers like Double Major, who won the race in 2023 and 2024, Group 1 Prix de Royallieu (2,800m) third Amelia Earhart, Queenstown, and Al Nayyir, among others.

The Saint-Cloud meeting also features the last three Group 1s of the French season. Besides the Prix Royal-Oak, the other two are dedicated to next year’s classic horses, the Criterium International (1,600m) and the Criterium de Saint-Cloud (2,000m), both carrying purses of €250,000. PMU