Amusingly laughs at Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere rivals Amusingly oozed class in beating the colts to land the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp. Francis-Henri Graffard surprised many when switching his Juddmonte-owned filly from the Prix Marcel Boussac against her own sex, but the decision was well and truly vindicated. Colin Keane dropped his mount out last in the early stages and she tracked the odds-on favourite Folsom Blues, with both travelling ominously well. Joseph O’Brien’s National Stakes winner had no answer to the finishing burst of Amusingly, though, and the daughter of No Nay Never pulled away to win in tremendous fashion. Graffard said: “She beat the filly that finished second in the Marcel Boussac (Data) very easily, so I was hoping I didn’t make a mistake. “She shows a lot of speed this filly, so I said to Barry Mahon (Juddmonte racing manager) she’s more of a Commonwealth Cup filly than a Guineas filly for next year. “I’ve no idea if she’ll go to the Breeders’ Cup, I need to speak to the team. “Today is a big win so I just want to enjoy that and winter well and we have a lovely filly for next year, but what she has done today is wonderful.” The Lagardere at seven furlongs was a furlong shorter than the Bousaac, and Keane said: “I think the decision to run in this race rather than the Boussac was a bit of a combination of everyone, it just looked like the last day over a mile she failed to see out the final half-furlong. “She’s a filly with a lot of class and lot of pace, she did a lot on the bridle before being run out of it close home (last time) so that was in the decision to bring her back to seven, albeit we were taking on the colts. “She relaxed a lot better today, she wasn’t as fresh and gassy and did everything right in the first half of the race, when she did that part we thought she’d run a good race and she showed how well she can quicken.” He added: “Time will tell if she’s a Guineas filly, she does have a lot of pace but I don’t see why she won’t get a mile.”
