ParisLongchamp Saturday

Qatar Prix du Cadran (Group 1)

TONY, Joey and Zoe lit up a saturated ParisLongchamp last Saturday to land a wonderful Irish victory following a dramatic, fantastic, fairytale finish to the €180,000 Group 1 Qatar Prix du Cadran.

At two and a half miles the longest flat race on the French calendar, the Cadran was always going to be a gruelling affair given the incessant rainfall of the previous 48 hours which had turned the ground to ‘heavy’.

Real slog

What made it into a real slog was that Alkuin set off at a strong gallop and simply did not relent. Soon five lengths clear from Windstoss with an even wider margin back to the remainder of the field, he was some 20 lengths clear of the Tony Mullins-trained, Joey Sheridan-ridden Princess Zoe approaching the halfway mark.

That gap was down to eight lengths when Princess Zoe moved into second place with two and a half furlongs to run and thereafter it was just a matter of if the winning line would come too soon for the Irish challenger as she inched ever closer.

Even with 100 yards to go, the result was still in the balance and the gallant Alguin only relinquished the lead half a dozen strides from the post.

Sheridan (18) afforded himself a double first pump crossing the line and former champion jump jockey Mullins had notched his first ever pattern race winner on the flat after 33 seasons with a training licence.

Mighty underdog

With a yawning 15-length break back to the €2 million-earning favourite, Call The Wind, this was a mighty victory for the underdog, with the first two home both having begun the season in such humble surroundings that suggestions either might be worthy of a place in one of Europe’s top staying races would have been the stuff of pure fantasy.

Owned by the brother and sister partnership of Paddy Kehoe and Philomena Crampton, Princess Zoe has dodgy confirmation to go with what appeared only limited ability judged by her performances in low grade German handicaps, so she can’t have cost much when they acquired her, primarily as a hurdling prospect, at the turn of last year.

While Princess Zoe was beaten in a Navan handicap off a mark of 64 on her debut for Mullins in June, during that same month Alkuin contested two claiming races, the first at the tiny provincial venue of Le Mans, where he could have been bought for a mere €24,000 following a two-length victory.

Incredible day

It’s impossible not to feel sympathy for Alkuin’s trainer, Frederic Rossi, but he had to wait less than 24 hours to gain Group 1 compensation and be part of an incredible day for the Rossi clan, which could yet become as influential in France as the Mullins family has been in Ireland over the past few decades.

Younger brother of the all-conquering National Hunt trainer, Willie, Tony Mullins was understandably elated afterwards, saying: “I nearly had a heart attack in the closing stages, it looked like she wasn’t going to get there, and the relief when she finally nosed to the front was such that I experienced sensations I’ve never felt before. This is just an unbelievable mare…”

And he, of course, should know, as the regular rider of one of the most unbelievable mares in the entire history of Irish racing, Dawn Run, aboard whom he won the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil (French Champion Hurdle) at Auteuil, barely a mile from Longchamp, back in 1984.

Asked who had come up with the plan to make the big step up to Group 1 company after winning a listed race on her previous start, Mullins said: “It was Princess Zoe herself! She was improving at such a rate that I wasn’t able to keep up with her.”

“After today I’ll be recommending to Paddy and Philomena, who are huge Cheltenham fans, that we don’t go hurdling and the plan would be to go anywhere where the ground is not firm and possibly even bring her back here in a year’s time for the Prix de l’Arc.”

The owners were incredibly sporting to keep faith with Sheridan, who again was unable to use his 5lb apprentice claim and was having his first ride in a Group 1. A 12-day whip ban for hitting his mount nine times dampened his delirium not one jot.

While Mullins and the owners will have plenty of time to wear out the Cadran recording as they serve their 14-day quarantine periods once back in Ireland, winning jockey Sheridan was able to take advantage of the elite sportspersons’ exemption and return to the saddle at Navan three days later.