Bernardini’s Le Bernardin was victorious in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 for the second straight year on January 5th at Meydan.
Breaking from the rail, Le Bernardin sat in a stalking position along the inside for most of the race before finding some running room in deep stretch and was able to pull away to a two-length win.
Le Bernardin was a $325,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase and won the G3 Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park as a three-year-old. He went to Dubai the following year and has been a solid performer at Meydan since, including a third-place finish in the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 and a victory in the Dubai Creek Mile in 2015, before taking the 2016 edition of the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1.
Bred in Kentucky by Mike Rutherford, Le Bernardin is out of the G2 Demoiselle Stakes winner La Rosa (Wild Again) and is a half-brother to G3 winner Taittinger Rose.
Bernardini had another fantastic year in 2016 with 10 Graded Stakes winners including dual G1 winner Cavorting, multiple Graded Stakes winner Lewis Bay, G2 Royal Delta Stakes winner Penwith, and G2 Nashua Stakes winner Hemsworth.
He will stand the 2017 breeding season at Jonabell Farm for $100,000 live foal, stands and nurses.
