Grand Prix Win Could Make Mogul an International Player

With a group 1 prize up for grabs and a guaranteed stayer in Investec Derby (G1) winner Serpentine in the lineup Sept. 13, the dawdle often seen in the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris (G1) was replaced with a truly run race and a definitive answer as to who was the best.

That horse was Mogul, and, while a return here for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) was not ruled out by Aidan O'Brien, the master trainer's appetite for talking of the many alternative options available was enough to pour cold water on initial offerings of 20-1 from Coral and 12-1 with Paddy Power.

"He's been showing so much speed, I thought we might be going the wrong way and maybe we should be going back to a mile and a quarter," said O'Brien, having watched the race on television at the Curragh. "I said to Pierre-Charles (Boudot): 'Ride him for speed, take your time on him, and drop him on the line.' He's obviously a fast horse, and he's able to quicken.

"Mogul is in the Arc, but there's Australia and there's the Champion Stakes (G1), so he doesn't have to go. We were thinking of going back to a mile and a quarter. He could go to America, he could go to Hong Kong, so there's a lot of options for him. He's in the Caulfield Cup (G1) and the Cox Plate (G1)."

Mogul was a third straight winner of the Grand Prix for O'Brien, with full brother Japan having won this race in its usual July slot last year before finishing fourth to Waldgeist on very different ground in the Arc. 

Boudot was suitably impressed with the way Mogul quickened up, putting 2 1/2 lengths between himself and the battle for second between German Derby (G1) winner In Swoop and Gold Trip.

Boudot said: "Aidan gave me a lot of confidence before the race. He told me to take my time with him as he can pull himself up a bit when he hits the front, thinking that the job is done.

"You have to be patient with him, and the leader took us along at a good rate. My horse progressed up the rail very easily and was still on the bridle turning in, so I was very confident at that point. 

"Being drawn 10 wasn't ideal and my main rivals were mostly drawn quite low, but given that we went a decent pace, that made sure the gaps appeared when I needed them. A well-run race definitely helped me."

Serpentine did not attempt to repeat the freewheeling Derby heroics, taking a lead from stablemate Nobel Prize before staying on to be fourth. 

O'Brien said: "Serpentine could go back to the Arc. He had a long break and was just starting back. I was very happy with how happy Christophe (Soumillon) was."

English King broke well but gradually drifted back through the field and, although not getting the clearest of runs in the straight, never looked like picking up the leaders under Frankie Dettori.

Owner Bjorn Nielsen, who braved the quarantine to be at ParisLongchamp, said: "We thought we had him as well as he was before Lingfield and that he would run a really big race today. He didn't perform, and that was disappointing."

Anthony Van Dyck Downs Stradivarius in Prix Foy

Stradivarius remains on course for next month's Arc despite narrowly failing to overhaul Anthony Van Dyck in a tactical running of the Qatar Prix Foy (G2) at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.

Trainer John Gosden and owner Bjorn Nielsen adopted a pragmatic approach to assessing the supreme stayer's defeat, reasoning that the Arc will be run at a more suitable tempo for a horse who has dominated races such as the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and Goodwood Cup through his career.

A clash with stablemate Enable on the first Sunday in October remains on the cards for Stradivarius, who was pushed out to 16-1 (from 14) for the contest, with Gosden also satisfied by how the 6-year-old had handled the experience of his first run outside Britain.

"I was very happy with his run as a trial and liked the way he finished out as he's not had the hardest of races," Gosden said. "It was a good trial and I like the way he finished, so I would have no hesitation about coming back for the Arc. 

"It's his first time racing abroad, so it was a trial that was as much about travel and getting a feel for the track and seeing how he handled it all. He's a bit of a showoff and was colty in the paddock, but that's just him and I thought he behaved well on the whole. From my point of view it was a good trial run."

Sent off the 3-5 favorite, Stradivarius sat close to leader Anthony Van Dyck as he steadily ticked through the furlongs under jockey Mickael Barzalona. When the time came at the top of the home straight, Barzalona asked last year's Derby winner to stretch and he responded gamely.

Dettori reacted and pushed Stradivarius briefly alongside the leader, but the combination of race position and needing an extra couple of seconds to hit top gear meant that Stradivarius was never quite able to pass Anthony Van Dyck, falling short by a short neck.

Nielsen was far from disheartened by the result, and said: "They walked through and Frankie said he should probably have made it, but that's the way it goes. It was a sprint finish and he got beat a neck, so it was a good trial, but I have to see what John thinks.

"I wouldn't be put off for the Arc by the way he ran today and the pace of an Arc would suit better."

Anthony Van Dyck's trainer, O'Brien, had identified targets further afield for the 4-year-old prior to his victory at ParisLongchamp, with the likes of the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate in Australia both under consideration.

Barzalona praised the winner's attitude and said: "There wasn't much pace, so we decided to go forward. It was only a regular pace, so we picked up the pace early as he doesn't do anything quick. 

"I thought when Stradivarius came to me, my horse responded well. He's probably got more speed in him than I thought."