Churchill Colt Completes Hat Trick With Stakes Win

Zweig (3c Churchill – Euthenia, by Winker Watson) maintained an upward curve on Tuesday when completing a hat-trick of wins in the Listed Derby Du Languedoc.

Jean-Claude Rouget’s charge got off the mark in February and followed up in a Class 2 contest in March, with Tuesday marking his first start at Stakes level. Partnered by Eyquem at Toulouse, he made all of the running in the mile and a half test and was shaken up with two furlongs left to race. Running on well inside the final furlong, he denied market leader Wootton Zi (Wootton Bassett) by a neck on the line.

Another step up in class may be on the cards for Zweig, who holds an entry in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris. The son of Churchill is owned by Bernard Weill, Mrs Susan Magnier, Daniel-Yves Treves, Laurent Dassault and Free Man Racing. Bred by Knocktartan House Stud, the €130,000 yearling buy is a half-brother to the highly-rated Queen Maedbh (Gleneagles).