It was a Florida double for DEMARCHELIER (GB) on Saturday, including a new winner with Gallic Charm winning on his second start.
The Peter Brant homebred trained by Chad Brown wasn’t first out of the gate in the 1 1/8-mile turf race at Tampa Bay, but quickly pressed the pace as he raced a few paths wide. It wasn’t until the stretch that he had clear command of the race after staying close to the field for much of the race.
He showed why he went off as the race favorite as he pulled away to a 3 ½ length victory with the third placed runner 7 ¼ lengths behind.
Brant and Brown also teamed up with Watchtower at Gulfstream Park as the filly looked for her second consecutive victory going 1 1/16 miles on the turf.
Watchtower raced in an opposite style of her stablemate when running second-to-last early on. The filly steadily closed the distance between herself and the leader around the far turn as she was angled out to find a way to the lead. The stretch saw Watchtower race up the outside and pulled even with De Regreso late with the pair engaging in a duel.
The stewards couldn’t separate them at the line, calling the finish a dead heat in the end.
Gallic Charm is out of the Galileo mare Dolly Madison. A full sister to stakes winner Kind of Magic, she is out of the stakes winning Danehill Dancer mare Look At Me. That mare is a daughter of Group 3 winner and dual Group 1-placed Queen Cleopatra.
Dolly Madison foaled a WAR FRONT colt last year named Afghanistan.
Watchtower is one of four winners from four to race out of dual stakes placed Zloty. That mare is a half-sister to dual stakes placed Funwhileitlasted with the duo out of multiple Grade 3-placed A.P. Reality.
DEMARCHELIER (GB) has 11 winners in 2024, ninth best of all second crop sires. His 22 winners overall is ninth best of all second crop sires with each stallion ahead of him having more than 10 runners than the Dubawi (Ire) son.