The French 2000 Guineas is on the agenda for the Mikel Delzangles-trained Ridari after swooping fast and late to claim Group Three honours in the Prix de Fontainebleau.
A winner on his second and final juvenile start at Chantilly in November, the Churchill colt faced a rise in class on his three-year-old debut, but quickened up smartly for Mickael Barzalona to get up and beat Sahlan by a nose.
Delzangles said: “I’m very pleased because he’s not an easy horse – he can be quite keen. The jockey really gets on well with him and gave him a really good prep race.
“We know how he behaves, but he’s able to deal with that and even if he was a bit keen, he managed to breeze and to quicken to finish.
“It’s a good lesson and a good prep race for the big one in four weeks.”
Barzalona made it a Group Three treble on the card and a four-timer overall by steering Christophe Ferland’s Uther to victory in the Prix Noailles.
Uther (Barzalona) wins Prix Noailles. Photo: Zuzanna Lupa
Ferland said: “It’s very good to win today. The horse was fit, but he will progress and he’s a very nice horse from a nice family.
“The horse will do a mile and a half easily.”
