WHERE have all the good French horses gone?

However you measure these things, French racing is in a bit of a slump of late.

For instance, there were just 17 French-trained representatives rated 115 or higher in the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings in January when there had been more than double that number seven years earlier.

All three of the group races on Sunday’s card at Saint-Cloud went to British-trained raiders, and that they were all pretty good British-trained raiders will be small consolation to the home team.

Mehdaayih was first up in a chronically weak Group 2 Prix de Malleret in which none of her rivals was rated higher than 102 beforehand by Timeform.

Mehdaayih beat them easily and with a turn of foot that suggests she is an improved model. A 30.87s split for the 546 metres from the entrance of the straight ensures that her base timefigure of 101 goes all the way up to 116 on sectionals. It is at least possible that she was the best filly in the Oaks at Epsom, where she got buffeted around before finishing seventh.

Her older stable companion Coronet followed suit in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud by narrow margins from Ziyad and Lah Ti Dar, in the process answering those critics (myself included) who thought she might be going soft.

Resolution

This was not the strongest Group 1, but Coronet had to show resolution as well as plenty of speed to come home in front, worth a 118 rating once sectionals have been factored in.

Ziyad, who has yet to win above listed level, gets 117 and Lah Ti Dar 115 by the same means.

Perhaps most impressive of all was Headman, who followed up his win in a good handicap at Newbury with a Group 2 success in the Prix Eugene Adam.

Again, the opposition was nothing special, but Headman showed a rare turn of foot (the same 30.90s split from the home turn as Coronet a bit earlier) to mow them down with ease.

He had three lengths to spare at the line over fellow Brit Jalmoud (who had an easy time of things in front) and gets a boost to his basic timefigure on account of sectionals from 109 to 121.

He should be up to mixing it with all but the very best at around this 10-furlong trip back on home soil.