Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes
Group 2, Newmarket 14:25
£125,000 guaranteed,
3yo plus,
7f, Class 1   
Friday 10th October 2025

FormRatings

1 Beauvatier 7/1
2 Poet Master 5/2
3 Cosmic Year 2/1F
5 ran Distances: 2¼l, 2¾l, 2¾l
Time: 1m 22.52s (fast by 0.78s)

It was a case of French flair and perfect timing as Beauvatier produced a sweeping last-to-first charge to win in style.

Representing Yann Barberot’s Deauville yard, the colt arrived with quiet confidence and left with Group Two glory — Alexis Pouchin delivering him with precision to overhaul his rivals in the closing strides. Sent off at 7-1 in a select field of five, Beauvatier was the picture of patience before his finishing kick turned the race on its head.

From the outset, John and Thady Gosden’s Audience did what he does best — straight to the front and dictating matters. The gallop was brisk and unrelenting, leaving Beauvatier anchored in rear through the early exchanges. But as the pace began to ebb inside the final furlong and a half, the French colt lengthened powerfully, reeling them in one by one before asserting by two and a quarter lengths from Poet Master.

Afterwards, winning connections reflected on a plan executed to perfection.

“Yann said ‘this horse is doing great and it’s a small field and I think we should run’ and he was bang on the money,” said Alex Solis, racing manager for co-owners LNJ Foxwoods SC.

“In his other races this year he never got any cover so we said to Alexis just grab him coming out of the gate and to just cover him up and Yann was right, he deserves all the credit.

The first eighth of a mile the pace didn’t look like it would quicken, but then they took off and it probably set up nicely for him.

Truthfully I don’t know what we will do with him and we were thinking he could be a nice stallion prospect, but maybe there might be more to running him internationally. We’re very fortunate to have that problem.”

It was the sort of victory that felt as polished as it was patient — a cool-headed ride, a trainer’s conviction, and a colt who keeps finding more when asked. On a blustery autumn afternoon at Newmarket, Beauvatier’s late swoop brought a touch of Deauville class to the Rowley Mile.

Challenge Stakes (Group 2)
£125,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 7f, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places

POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (5)    Beauvatier 4 9-5 Y Barberot Alexis Pouchin 7/1
2 (1) 2¼ Poet Master 5 9-5 K R Burke Clifford Lee 5/2
3 (3) 2¾ Cosmic Year 3 9-3 Harry Charlton Colin Keane 2/1F
4 (2) 2¾ Scoville 3 9-3 William Haggas Tom Marquand 11/2
5 (4) hd Audience 6 9-5 John & Thady Gosden Robert Havlin 4/1