Marianafoot Rolls to Prix Maurice de Gheest Victory

Sometimes sprinters play a trick on the eye and so it was as the Aug. 8 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) changed in an instant from a wide-open charge for the line to a one-horse race at Deauville. 

That one horse was Marianafoot , who has been nursed through the ranks by France's man of the season, Jerome Reynier, and who shook off his rivals in the space of 50 meters under Mickael Barzalona to record an eighth straight success and a first at group 1 level. 

Approaching the furlong marker it was Starman  who looked ready to dominate the finish, but once Barzalona shook the reins at Marianafoot, the Darley July Cup (G1) winner began to come under serious pressure and was run out of second close to home by Tropbeau , while the ageless Brando  charged home to be fourth. 

"The plan really worked beautifully," a delighted Reynier said. "Over this distance we wanted to attack in the final 100 meters because we know he stays further and some of the others are pure sprinters."

Connections will now mull the Deauville sprint/mile double over consecutive weekends famously completed by Moonlight Cloud  in 2013. 

"We won't rush to decide, but he'll stay up here and he could run in the (Prix) Jacques le Marois (G1), depending on how he comes out of this and how the race shapes up," said Reynier. "Palace Pier  is no back number, is he?"

The son of Footstepsinthesand  has been given a series of easier races on the road back from a serious injury sustained in Qatar, which kept him out of action for most of last year. 

Reynier has always put the horse first, as has been the case with another 6-year-old star to carry the orange and silver hoops of Jean-Claude Seroul in Skalleti , the last home-trained winner of a French group 1 in the May 30 Prix d'Ispahan (G1). 

"I was sick to miss the chance to run him last year, but he has made up for lost time this year," said Reynier. "We're looking at the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) at the end of the year as his last race and the (Prix de la) Foret (G1) would be a good target in between, as long as it isn't too soft.

"We have a challenge between Skaletti and Marianafoot to see who will be the first to lose. To have two 6-year-olds of this quality is exceptional and to be able to keep them going is wonderful."

Tropbeau returned to form on a track where she has thrived, equaling trainer Andre Fabre's best finish in this rare group 1 to elude him at scarcely believable odds of 92-1.

For Ed Walker there was pride and frustration in equal measure as Starman confirmed the suspicion that he is not quite as explosive on rain-softened ground, for all that his wheels didn't spin as they had at Ascot last year. 

"He's run a huge race and we had to give it a go," said Walker. "The ground wasn't that bad, it's just he's not as brilliant as he is on fast ground. I'd love to take them all on again on fast ground. But the cards are not falling that way this year and it makes it very difficult to know what to do and where to go next.

"He's gone and won his race and then just emptied on the ground, he's not been able to see it through. And credit to the winner who does nothing but keep winning. He's still an inexperienced horse. I think he's getting better and better and I think he'll continue to do so as long as we don't over-race him.

"I'd be surprised if he didn't race on at 5 as long as he's well, because he might not run again this year. COVID is stopping us traveling and Hong Kong is impossible at the moment, while Haydock and Ascot look like they will be out."

Nine-year-old Brando was adding fourth place to a win in 2017 and also finished runner-up here two years ago.

Tom Eaves said: "We probably could have been second because we were locked up on the rail for a while when everyone came standside. But he ran his race."

Frankie Dettori explained how he was bashed in the face by Campanelle  after she reared up as the stalls opened.

Dettori was momentarily dazed, but in truth Campanelle had already ruined her chances before being loaded. She was reluctant on the way to post and forced her jockey to dismount and walk the last two furlongs.

As opposed to when she won at Ascot this year and last, there was no pony to keep her calm in the preliminaries and Dettori said that played a big part in the downfall of Campanelle, who won the Darley Prix Morny (G1) at the track 12 months ago.

"She usually has a pony, so she was very upset today," said Dettori, who sported no obvious signs of the incident. "I had trouble getting her to the start; twice she whipped round and I led her the last bit. Then, behind the gates she was really upset. She overreacted to the jump and when she reared, as she landed she hit me in the face and I was a bit dazed. But the race was over then, I was already five lengths behind. 

"She's used to a pony and a guy in the gate and she had none of that. It's just one of those things," Dettori added.

Campanelle swerved right after the start and raced towards the far side, finishing last of the 12 runners.

It was an unfortunate turn of events for trainer Wesley Ward and Campanelle's owners, Stonestreet Stables, having shipped her to France after making a successful return trip to Ascot last month, when she was awarded the Commonwealth Cup (G1) in the stewards' room after finishing second past the post to Dragon Symbol .