Laurens (inside)© Photo Healy Racing
Laurens was made to work hard for the second Group One win of her career in The Gurkha Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at ParisLongchamp.
Sent off the odds-on favourite on the back of her excellent second in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, it took every yard of the 10 furlongs to enable Laurens to come out on top.
PJ McDonald attempted to make all on the Karl Burke-trained filly, but she looked a sitting duck a furlong out as Andre Fabre’s Flowrider and the Freddy Head-trained With You threw down their challenges.
It was to Laurens’ credit, though, that she stuck her neck out and battled all the way to the line, coming out on top in a photo.
Burke said: “We’re delighted her head crossed the line first.
“We didn’t want to make the running and we never really have, it’s just that she’s got such a huge stride. The French guys were never going to do us a favour today, either.
“I can guarantee when she does get a lead she’ll show some improvement again.
“PJ said he would have kicked himself if we’d got beat as he should have kicked earlier, she just fell asleep in front really.
“He had to give her a smack to wake her up, but she’d been very relaxed all morning — hopefully that’s a good sign going forward.
“God willing, if everything goes well it has always been the plan to go for the Prix de Diane next.
“She’s beaten a good filly there, I know Freddy Head thinks a lot of her and she was unbeaten before today.
“The original plan was to go for the Irish Guineas, but we didn’t want to take a chance getting her beaten on fast ground again and now she’s a Group One winner at two and three which is very important.”
Roger Charlton’s Almodovar ran a fine race to take second behind Recoletos in the Churchill Coolmore Prix d’Ispahan.
Having just his second outing for Charlton, Almodovar kicked for home over a furlong out under James Doyle.
He took two lengths out of the field and briefly looked to have got away, but Olivier Peslier had yet to ask for everything on the odds-on favourite.
Recoletos had finished fourth to Cracksman at Ascot on Champions Day and was an impressive winner of a Group Two on his return, but this was his first victory at the highest level.
He quickened up smartly and won going away.
Vazirabad was a cosy winner of the Group Two Prix Vicomtesse Vigier for the third year in a row.
Hughie Morrison’s Marmelo, having his first outing since finishing ninth in the Melbourne Cup, closed to within about half a length at the line, but the result was never in doubt with Alain de Royer-Dupre’s charge easing home.
Jedd O’Keeffe’s Lord Yeats was not beaten too far in fifth.
