G3 Prix Greffulhe

Francis Graffard's stable continues its plunder of French stakes contests and the hitherto unbeaten Midak (Footstepsinthesand) made his mark for the yard with a pillar-to-post victory in Friday's G3 Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud. The 13-5 second choice, successful in staying contests at Lyon La Soie and Chantilly, asserted for early control after a level break in this black-type debut and held sway throughout. Shaken up when threatened with 500 metres remaining, he was ridden clear approaching the final furlong and kept on relentlessly in the closing stages to easily account...

Friday, Chester, post time: 14:35, IRE-INCENTIVE, IT PAYS TO BUY IRISH HUXLEY STAKES-G2, £130,000, 4yo/up, 10f 70yT Field: Bolster (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Cairo (Ire) (Quality Road), Certain Lad (GB) (Clodovil {Ire}), Deepone (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}), Liberty Lane (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Space Legend (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}). TDN Verdict: With no entries, Aidan O'Brien cannot complete the clean sweep of Chester's black-type races which gives others a chance after a week of renewed domination of this fixture by Ballydoyle. Even without his...

Last seen finishing runner-up in the Listed Prix Maurice Caillault at Chantilly in March, Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois and Jean-Claude Seroul's Wootton Verni (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) stepped up to land Monday's G3 Prix Greffulhe and survive a subsequent inquiry at Saint-Cloud. Tackling 10 1/2 furlongs for the first time under Cristian Demuro, the 9-2 shot, who holds an entry in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, was anchored last of the quartet early before being launched wide of the duelling Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) and Casapueblo (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}) to...

Aidan O'Brien trainee Greenland (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}--Aktoria {Fr}, by Canford Cliffs {Ire}) lined up for Monday's G3 Prix Greffulhe coming back off a third in last month's G3 Prix La Force at ParisLongchamp and dipped into deep reserves to prevail in a thrilling finish to the 10 1/2-furlong test. He had concluded a five-race juvenile campaign with a fourth in Newmarket's Sept. 24 G2 Royal Lodge S. in his penultimate start and stalked the pace in second for the most part. Readied for his challenge passing the quarter-mile marker,...