Two new Group winners for Kingman
This weekend saw a pair of Kingman fillies taking their first blacktype wins, with Tajlina winning the Gr.3 Prix Penelope at Saint-Cloud and three-year-old Swelter staking her classic claim in the Gr.3 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown.
Taken from the European Bloodstock News, 30th & 31st March 2025:
Tajlina overcame a slow start to win the Gr.3 Prix Penelope in taking fashion over 2100m at Saint-Cloud on Saturday (29th March). Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for owner/breeder Al Asayl France, she had looked a filly of immense potential when winning over 1800m at Chantilly on her second start last October, only to finish a well-beaten fourth when sent off a warm favourite for the Listed Prix Isonomy on her final outing of the year. Clearly thought capable of better, she once again headed the market for her three-year-old comeback against seven rivals.
She missed the break by a couple of lengths, but Mickael Barzalona was happy to bide his time towards the back of the pack. Early leader Glamis Road was headed by Kiamba shortly after passing the 400m post, but the hooded Tajlina was building momentum
to the outer and swept to the front with just 200m left to travel. She saw her race out well to win by a length and a half from Jones, with Kiamba finishing a further head away in third.
It has been some years since a Prix Penelope winner went on to triumph in the Gr.1 Prix de Diane, but Tajlina holds an entry for the Chantilly Classic and would be well worth her place in the field. As it is, she becomes the 91st Stakes winner and 56th Group winner for the Juddmonte sire Kingman, who supplied last season’s Prix de Diane heroine, Sparkling Plenty.
The Gr.3 Priory Belle Stakes, a recognised trial for the Gr.1 1000 Guineas over 7f at Leopardstown, went the way of Juddmonte’s impeccably bred filly Swelter, trained by Dermot Weld. Taking her record to two from two, the daughter of Kingman jumped well from stall two and settled in mid-division on the inside. Moving off the rail as they straightened for home, she was hard ridden and responded generously. Once in the clear, she quickened up smartly and never looked like being caught. The favourite Exactly (Frankel) came from further back and did well to narrow the deficit to a length and a quarter. Cercene came from off the pace and stayed on strongly to take third, beaten a further half a length, in the manner of a filly who will be seen to better effect over further.