Gilt Edge Girl powers home in Prix de l'Abbaye
Gilt Edge Girl gave Luke Morris and Clive Cox their first Group One winner in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp.
This five-furlong sprint has been dominated by runners from Britain and Ireland, who had won 18 of the 20 previous renewals, and there was again a strong presence in the field of 21 but Gilt Edge Girl was not among those considered to have a leading chance.
However, Morris made the most of being drawn on the rail in stall one. He tracked the early speed from Moorehouse Lad, running in blinkers for the first time, and the only time that Morris came away from the rail was when he manoeuvred around the leader. From there Gilt Edge Girl swept a couple of lengths clear and had too much of an advantage for Richard Hughes to be able to catch her on Lady of the Desert, who finished second with Mar Adentro in third.
There was a fearful spell when a stewards’ inquiry was called, but the result stood as Morris said: “She’s been such a good filly for me. She gave me my first Group winner at the start of the year and now a first winner at the top level so it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
François Doumen had felt that the testing ground at Longchamp would be against Kasbah Bliss in the Group One Prix du Cadran and his concerns were proven to be correct. Thierry Thulliez did his best to hold the horse up for as long as possible, taking the lead from Askar Tau early in the home straight.
However, despite his early career over hurdles, before becoming such a highly rated stayer on the Flat, Kasbah Bliss was spent force before the final furlong as Gentoo swept past for Gerald Mosse.
Gento, trained by Alain Lyon, who was also saddling his first Group One winner, had already beaten Kasbah Bliss comprehensively in the Group Three Prix Gladiateur at Longchamp last month. The six-year-old is something of a late convert to long-distance races but is clearly suited by their demands as he readily came away from Winter Dream, who caught Kasbah Bliss for second.
Jean-Claude Rouget had to settle for fourth place with Behkabad in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe but the trainer’s day finished on a positive note when Lily Of The Valley, ridden by Ioritz Mendizabal, won the Group One Prix de l'Opera.
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