Andre Fabre© Photo Healy Racing
The British and Irish raiders had to make do with minor honours as Sosie provided Andre Fabre with a remarkable 14th victory in the Grand Prix de Paris.
The leading French trainer has an exceptional record in the Bastille weekend showpiece, first striking gold with Dancehall in 1989 and most recently with Gallante a decade ago.
In between times Fabre saddled a trio of subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winners to land the prize in Subotica (1991), Peintre Celebre (1997) and Rail Link (2006), and a tilt at Europe’s premier middle-distance prize back at ParisLongchamp in early October may well loom large for his latest victor.
Sosie, who was last seen finishing third in the French Derby, was tackling a mile and a half for the first time in the hands of Maxime Guyon and after moving to the front halfway up the home straight, saw out the trip well to score comfortably by two lengths.
Aidan O’Brien’s Queen’s Vase winner Illinois emerged best of the rest in second, with the previously unbeaten favourite Delius making late headway from the rear of the field to beat David Menuisier’s high-class filly Tamfana to third place.
Paddy Power gave Sosie an introductory quote of 12-1 for the Arc, while trimming the odds of French Derby winner and ante-post favourite Look De Vega to 3-1 from 9-2.
“It’s amazing, I’m really happy for the team,” Guyon told Sky Sports Racing.
“It was the first time for him to run 2,400 (metres), but in the Prix du Jockey Club he finished third and 2,000 metres was a little bit too short for him. Today it was perfect.
“We had a really good race behind the leader and he showed a strong turn of foot.
“Just before the winning post he looked around a little bit. I hope he can win the Arc.”
Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager for Sosie’s owners Wertheimer and Frere, added: “It was a superb race. He’s a colt we’ve always held in high esteem but, given his very massive physique, it has taken him a while to come to himself.
“He’s still a relatively new horse as this was only his fifth career outing. He ran a blinder in the Prix du Jockey Club. I was a bit worried when I saw the rain coming as he’s a top of the ground colt. However, in the Jockey Club, he handled the sticky ground.
“This victory is very important for breeding purposes. The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, in the autumn, is the logical target for the colt.”
Survie also emerged as a potential Arc contender by landing the Group Two Prix de Malleret for trainer Nicolas Clement and jockey Stephane Pasquier.
A narrowly beaten second in the French Oaks on her most recent outing, the daughter of Churchill displayed a willing attitude to go one better on what was also her first start over a mile and a half.
“I’m delighted and relieved. She was placed in a Group One, a Group Two and a Group Three and we’ve got the job done in a Group Two,” said Clement.
“This is a filly in the making – I think she’ll keep improving.
“She’s got an entry in the Arc, which we might give some thought to, and there’s a nice Group One in September called the Prix Vermeille and we can go for that.
“French trainers like to give them a midsummer break and she’ll get August off. We’ll train her easy and look at the autumn.”
Last season’s Prix Royal-Oak hero Double Major made it third time lucky for the current campaign with a front-running success in the other Group Two on the card – the Prix Maurice de Nieuil.
Winning trainer Christophe Ferland said: “He was not as good as he was today at the beginning of the year, (but) now we’ve got the horse back to his form.
“The rain we had earlier on was really good for him as he likes the ground a little bit soft and he likes to get in front.
“The good turn of foot Double Major has when he’s in really good form makes a big difference – he’s one of the best (stayers) here in France at the moment.”
