Proud And Regal, near side, pips Espionage© Photo Healy Racing
Donnacha O’Brien’s Proud And Regal prevailed after a tight finish in the Group One Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.
The chestnut locked horns with Espionage, trained by Donnacha’s father Aidan, and the duo crossed the line almost in unison at the end of the mile.
Proud And Regal just triumphed by a head and in doing so gave rider Gavin Ryan his first victory at the highest level during his career so far.
“He seemed to handle the ground, Gavin gave him a lovely ride,” the trainer said.
“He was very genuine at the end of the day and it was nice to get a big one with him.
“He’s a Galileo, he’s very genuine and he tries his best. It was only in the last furlong that he really got on top of dad’s horse, but I’m sure they’re two nice staying horses going forward.
“He’s probably going to want 10 or 12 furlongs next year, which opens up a lot of options for him, he’s a good stayer.
“He’s had a few runs and he’s plenty fit, but he’s had a long enough year so it’s a testament to him that he’s still performing at a high class this far into the year.
“We’ll see, he’s definitely going to be a high class horse. Whether we stick around for Classics with him in this part of the world or go travelling with him, we’ve plenty of options.”
