Ground Concerns Lead To Track Switch

The G1 The Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches on Sunday was delayed by half an hour when Christophe Soumillon, backed up by his fellow jockeys, reiterated his concern over the state of the track at ParisLongchamp after finishing third on Dice Roll (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) in the preceding race, the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains. The 13 trainers involved in the fillies' Classic were consulted in the weighing-room as the horses were led back out of the parade ring to the stabling area. Eventually the decision was taken to move the race from the middle track, on which the colts had run, to the outer track. During the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, U S Navy Flag (War Front) stumbled on the bend when leading the field before finishing fifth. The incident led to an emotional outburst from Soumillon who, a week earlier, had given up his rides halfway through the meeting after telling French racing channel Equidia, “The ground is terrible, the track is full of divots.”