Palace Pier fends off Poetic Flare to claim Jacques le Marois double

Gosden runner stars again at Deauville.

Palace Pier narrowly denied Poetic Flare to to claim back-to-back victories in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville.

Defeated only once in nine previous career starts, Palace Pier was favourite to make it four from four for the season under Frankie Dettori, having missed last month’s Sussex Stakes at Goodwood following unsatisfactory blood test results.

Always travelling strongly, John and Thady Gosden’s stable star moved smoothly into contention on the outside of the field, with Jim Bolger’s 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes hero Poetic Flare delivering his challenge close to the stands’ rail.

In receipt of 6lb from his older rival, Sussex Stakes runner-up Poetic Flare did his best to claw back Palace Pier inside the last half-furlong, but Dettori’s mount was always doing enough to hold him at bay.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained Order Of Australia finished third to make it a clean sweep for the visiting party.

Gosden said: “I lost a lot of time with him. He had a blood disorder which prevented him from running in the Sussex Stakes. To be perfectly frank, he came here with here with the minimum amount of work.

“Frankie said that his class made the difference. He was blowing a lot afterwards.

“However, if you bypass the Prix Jacques Le Marois, you’ve missed the race of the year. Of course, coming back here was the long-term aim. All things being equal, I ran a horse that was 80 per cent fit.

“He had the class and the jockey too. You could see that he was starting to tire towards the end, due to the fact that he had been held up in his work because of his illness.

“It was a super edition of the race and the second is an iron horse.

“I would have liked to have had him 100 per cent as last year. However, he ran a blinder and his trademark acceleration came to the fore.”

John Gosden was delighted with the performance of Palace Pier
John Gosden was delighted with the performance of Palace Pier (Mike Egerton/PA)

Paddy Power cut Palace Pier to 7-4 from 2-1 for Ascot’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, a race in which he finished third last term.

Gosden confirmed his charge will head straight for Champions Day in October, but raised the Qipco Champion Stakes as a potential alternative to the QEII.

He told Sky Sports Racing: “He’s a gorgeous horse and a lovely horse to be around. He’s got this amazing cruising speed and acceleration, (but) I wouldn’t be frightened of stepping him up to a mile and a quarter.

“I think we’ll wait for Champions Day. When you run a horse like this, don’t come back too quick, so we’ll wait for Champions Day and possibly run over a mile or even a mile and a quarter.”

When asked if Palace Pier could run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile in November, Gosden said: “That’s a long way off. Del Mar is a track I’m very fond of, I’ve had a lot of success there and a lot of good friends there, but that’s a long way down the road at the moment.”

Dettori was suitably impressed with Palace Pier’s performance.

He said: “I love the horse – he’s the best miler I’ve rode.

“He’s beautiful and he’s got everything – pace, a turn of foot and goes on any ground.

“We were rushing to get him here today. He’s missed a bunch of work and we got him here on 80 per cent.

“He’s just so good and got away with it.”

He added: “I kept an eye on Kevin (Manning, on Poetic Flare) and when he kicked I went after him. I basically raced on my own for the last 200 metres and passed him good, but Kevin came back and fought back.

“Like I said he (Palace Pier) is so good and just keeps on doing it.

“Apart from losing a shoe and getting a bad start in the QEII last year, he’s done nothing wrong.

“He’s a joy to ride and a joy to be around.”

Poetic Flare lost out in a photo
Poetic Flare lost out in a photo (David Davies/PA)

Kevin Manning was full of praise for Poetic Flare, saying: “He ran a very good race. The horse again gave of his best today.

“We are really over the moon with his effort.”

O’Brien already has his sights set on the Breeders’ Cup for Order Of Australia, but a return trip to France next month is also a possibility.

He said: “I think the mile is a perfect trip for him, even on a straight course. He might even be able to go longer but he has a high cruising speed.

“His end-of-year objective is the Breeders’ Cup Mile in the US, which he won last year.

“We’ll see how he recovers from the race before deciding where he goes next, but the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at Paris-Longchamp in September, for example, isn’t to be excluded.

“I’m very happy with his performance.”

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