THERE was quite an exciting finish to the Group 2 Prix du Conseil de Paris at Longchamp last Sunday although the race wasn’t contested by any top class horses.

The Andre Fabre-trained Manatee ended up in the winner’s circle but not before he had battled bravely to overcome the long-time leader Norse King who went under by three quarters of a length. Bodhi finished third and Garlingari took the fourth prize money of €9,100.

Being by Monsun, the winner acted on the very soft ground. Manatee did not race as a juvenile and was given a break after a successful debut at Chantilly in March. Lisa-Jane Graffard who represents Godolphin in France said: “We have given him plenty of time and he is an exciting prospect for next year.”

Maxime Guyon added: “He has improved all season and is a super horse who can act on all grounds.”

The Grand Prix’s at Chantilly and Saint-Cloud look likely targets for Manatee who is a fresh horse having raced in public on just four occasions. Norse King lost very little in defeat. He tried to do it the hard way with Alexis Badel and stuck to his guns until the end.

He was conceding 9lb to the winner and Myriam Bollack-Badel disclosed: “He had a foot abscess during the summer and needed this race. In addition, he was giving away lumps of weight so it was a fine performance. I could be tempted by a Group 1 race in Munich next month but it is more likely that he will be put away until next season.”