THE latest incarnation of Longchamp – now known officially as ParisLongchamp, presumably due to a moment of insight from a genius in a marketing department - has not pleased everyone, with the jockeys critical of the false rail in the straight at early meetings and most recently of the racing surface itself.

Their protestations led to the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches being run on the outer track after a Poule d’Essai des Poulains on the middle one had seen U S Navy Flag sprawling while in the lead at halfway followed by plenty of congestion.

One-on-one time comparisons between the two races need to take that into account but in truth the change probably made a negligible difference.

The earlier colts’ race proved to be faster by 0.25s but both were closer to being well-run than races at this track often are.

Nonetheless, Olmedo did pretty well to close from just behind the leaders to win in a race in which less than four lengths separated the first seven.

I have a timefigure of 114 on Olmedo, which is below usual classic-winning standard, but his final 600 metres of approximately 34.65s suggests he could run around 120 in a truer contest.

On breeding and the way he runs, Olmedo has decent prospects of staying the extra 500 metres of the Prix du Jockey Club.

He was followed home by Hey Gaman and Dice Roll, who both registered 113 timefigures, with the former adding a bit of substance to the form of the Greenham Stakes at Newbury. Wootton (109), who had beaten the winner by a head in the Prix de Fontainebleau, seemed to be unsettled by how things unfolded and was only fourth.

Circumstances mean that it would be unfair to state categorically that U S Navy Flag failed to stay, but his fast-time Dewhurst win at shorter had been with a following wind and with him showing sprinting speed mid-race. He seemed to have had enough by the end of this.

FIRST CLASSIC

The fillies’ race was even tighter at the finish, with about two and a half lengths separating the first 11, and Teppal (108 timefigure) securing a first classic victory for trainer David Simcock.

While that timefigure identifies Teppal as borderline smart and much improved, the individual sectionals suggest she owed her success in no small part to the ride from Olivier Peslier.

The next five home were all quicker than Teppal in the final 600 metres, and Coeur De Beaute, Wind Chimes, Capla Temptress and Musis Amica get big enough upgrades to suggest they should have finished in front of her.

I think this will prove to be an up-to-scratch running in terms of the quality of the best fillies who contested the race but the result itself promises to be somewhat misleading.

On the same ParisLongchamp card, the Lingfield All-Weather Final winner City Light did not have to be quite at his best to land the Prix de Saint-Georges by one and a half lengths from Gold Vibe, running to a timefigure of 115.

Earlier in the week, Study Of Man’s win in the Prix Greffulhe at Saint-Cloud was visually impressive but did not amount to much on the clock.

The modest Assiro was too close for comfort in last of four and I have a timefigure on the winner of 101 at the absolute most.