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Fabre star Cavalryman lands Grand Prix de Paris
By Nicholas Godfrey AND DESMOND STONEHAM7.21PM 14 JUL 2009
Report: France, Tuesday
Longchamp: Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (Group 1) 1m4f, 3yo
SHEIKH Mohammed's Cavalryman ran out the decisive winner of the Grand Prix de Paris to give multiple champion trainer Andre Fabre his first Group 1 win ofthe season at Longchamp on Tuesday.
Ridden by rising star Maxime Guyon, the son of Halling took charge in the final furlong of the Bastille Day highlight to record a 4-1 success from Ballydoyle's Age Of Aquarius, sent off a 9-2 chancewith British bookmakers.
Followers of Pricewise were left celebrating as tipping supremo Tom Segal advised the winner at 6-1 in the Racing Post.
The Aga Khan's much vaunted Beheshtam, the 6-4 favourite, produced a lacklustre performance and was never seen with a chance before finishing sixth.
Fabre trained Rail Link to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe after taking the Grand Prix in 2005.
Victor Chandlermake Cavalryman a 16-1 chance to emulate him after drawing away to claim the Juddmonte-sponsored event, regarded by many as France's true 'Derby' since it was revamped to its current 1m4f distance in 2004.
William Hill go even shorterat a first show of 10-1, while Coral cut Cavalryman to 8-1 (from 25) in the Arc market.
"He has progressed very well with every race and is certainly a very good horse," said Fabre, ending a Group 1 drought dating back to Thewayyouare in 2007.
"We will think about the Prix Niel and the Arc but I need to talk it over with Sheikh Mohammed first."
Cavalryman's victory was the second of the night for Fabre and Guyon with a SheikhMohammed horse following the impressive success of two-year-old Colonial
in a Listed contest.
Budding champion Guyon, celebrating the biggest win of his burgeoning career, was in tears in the winner's enclosure.
"I am so happy not just for myself but all the team," he said. "It was just fantastic and I was just adding the finishing touches."
Johnny Murtagh sent Age Of Aquarius to the front once the Ballydoyle pacemaker Hail Caesar cried enough a couple of furlongs out.
Aidan O'Brien: happy with second
Frankie Dettori produced Godolphin's Mastery with what looked like a winning challenge and Cavalryman looked to be labouring under Guyon.
However, as Age Of Aquarius and Mastery knuckled down to the battle, Cavalryman found a powerful stride on the outside and mowed them down inside the final furlong.
Cavalryman scored a decisive verdict by a length and a half over Age Of Aquarius, who outstayed Mastery by a couple of lengths with Freemantle fourth.
Aidan O'Brien was delighted with the runner-up. "He ran really well," said the trainer. "It was a tough race and the colt is getting better with every outing - he fought very well throughout the straight."
Alainde Royer-Dupre could draw no positives from the dismal Beheshtam, who never looked like emulating the stable's 2008 winner Montmartre.
"He had absolutely no action on this occasion," said De Royer-Dupre. "He was hampered at the entrance to the straight and that didn't help but that is not enough to explain his poor performance. The colt ran well below his best form."