Haras d’Etreham Prix Jean Prat (Group 1)

SUNDAY’S Jean Prat attracted four Irish contenders among its 13-runner field, and it was Laws Of Indices, at 29/1 the least fancied of the quartet, who prevailed by a head from Joseph O’Brien’s Thunder Moon.

Owned by a partnership of five old friends of Condon’s, headed by Middleham Park Racing’s Charlotte Holmes and her husband, the Goffs auctioneer, Andrew Nolan, Laws Of Indices is a son of Power and cost just €8,000 at Goffs as a yearling.

Having landed the Group 2 Railway Stakes 12 months ago, his form had levelled out a little, though his Pari-Mutuel odds were generous given that he has three times finished in the top five in Group 1 company.

Victory here was in part down to a perfectly judged ride from the ageless Olivier Peslier, 28 years on from him having broken his Group 1 duck in this very race aboard Le Balafre.

Very soft

Deauville’s straight seven-furlong course was riding ‘very soft’ and Peslier’s pre-race track walk identified the centre of the course as the best terrain.

Having prompted a fast break from Laws Of Indices, the partnership proceeded to make all the running and turn back a series of challenges in the final furlong, first from Valloria, then from Midtown and finally from Thunder Moon, who had come from last to draw alongside with 100 yards to run.

Gamble

Winning trainer Ken Condon admitted afterwards that sending Laws Of Indices to France has been a bit of a gamble, and that although all of his previous three 2021 starts had offered enough encouragement to be hopeful of a top-four finish, winning was above his expectation.

Having initially ruled out a return visit for August 8th’s Prix Maurice de Gheest fearing that it would come too quick, a closer look at the calendar allowed him to calculate that there was a workable four-week gap before that six-and-a-half-furlong race.

Further nautical miles on the ferry are likely to be clocked up in October in order to take part in the other seven-furlong European Group 1, the Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp.

Another Invincible winner in Loch Lein

ANOTHER Irish winner at Deauville last Sunday was Jessica Harrington’s three-year-old Invincible Spirit filly Loch Lein.

Fourth in high-class Curragh six-furlong contests on her two previous outings, she stepped back up to seven furlongs and achieved her objective of gaining blacktype when registering a one-length success in the €55,000 Listed Prix Amandine.