Laurens Emerges Victorious in French Oaks

John Dance's Laurens battled hard to the wire to land the 169th running of the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks, G1) at Chantilly June 17, prevailing in a tight finish to the fillies' classic.

The daughter of Siyouni completed a group 1 hat trick after wins in the bet365 Fillies' Mile (G1) as a juvenile and the Gurkha Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary (G1) last month. 

Always well-placed for jockey P J McDonald in a race run at a sedate pace, Laurens took the lead two furlongs from the finish. Her trademark grit was on display as she held off the late-running Musis Amica by a neck, with Homerique a nose back in third.

Trainer Karl Burke felt vindicated after suggesting last week his filly was being underestimated.

"I just felt, because of the manner of her wins, she wasn't getting the credit she deserved," he said. "She's not an Enable that was going to destroy her field by five or six lengths, but she has great ability, a great stride, great cruising speed, and she just grinds it out and does what she has to do."

In recent years, Zarkava (2008) and Treve (2013) have followed up Diane success by winning the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) in the fall, and Burke was certainly thinking along those lines, as well as outlining some other possible targets along the way.

"I would say, sitting here, there is no reason why we won't be lining up in the Arc, but there's at least one race in between now and then she should be going for," Burke said. "We'll get her home, and hopefully she recovers as quick as she did in the Saint-Alary. She's in the (Darley) Irish Oaks (G1), which is in four weeks' time, so she'll have a week longer than the Saint-Alary to here. Then both John and I would like to take her to the (Darley) Yorkshire Oaks (G1), which is our home race."

Final time for the 2,100-meter (10 1/2-furlong) test on a good to soft track was 2:06.11.

Godolphin's Musis Amica came home strongly in her previous assignment, the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French One Thousand Guineas, G1) over a mile at Longchamp, and that was once again the case going up in distance. Andre Fabre-trained Dawn Approach filly was never closer to the winner than at the wire, finishing second under Mickael Barzalona.

Another step up in distance may beckon, Fabre said.

"She's always been laid-back, and obviously softer ground would help her," he said. "I am happy with the way she finished, but she's like that and you cannot change her. She could go to the Curragh (for the Irish Oaks over 12 furlongs) next."

Aidan O'Brien-trained Happily bested Freddy Head trainee With You for fourth by a nose in a race in which the entire field of 13 was separated by just 7 1/4 lengths.

The Aga Khan's Shahnaza was sent off the favorite on the back of an easy win in a lesser stakes last time out, but she was found wanting in the closing stages Sunday and came home seventh.