Fiesolana third in French Group One Fiesolana put up one the best performances of her career as she took third place behind Garswood in the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville. Partnered by Billy Lee as she dropped down to the rarely run trip of six and a half furlongs, the Willie McCreery-trained mare was quickly into her stride and took the 14-strong Group One field along for most of the way. It looked for a while as though she might keep them all at bay, but she began to falter as Gerald Mosse produced Garswood to perfection around a furlong and a half out to get the better of a battle with Thawaany by half a length. The runner-up, who was bidding to give Freddy Head another victory in a race he has made his own, had Fiesolana a length and a quarter away in third, and there was a further head to Zejel in fourth. Garswood landed the Free Handicap at Newmarket last season and was not unfancied in the 2000 Guineas won by Dawn Approach, where he was seventh. Richard Fahey's colt has consistently kept top company but had been out of luck in four prior outings this year, albeit not without showing promise. Fiesolana, who was trained in France before joining McCreery, has won three Group Three races in Ireland as well as the Group Two Challenge Stakes at Newmarket. The other Irish runner in the race was the Eddie Lynam trained Viztoria and she could only manage a disappointing twelfth under Wayne Lordan.
