FOREIGN-trained horses dominated the two pattern races last Sunday and it was almost the same at ParisLongchamp 48 hours later, when only a last minute surge by Vaucelles in the €90,000 Group 2 Prix de Malleret stopped British raiders from collecting all five of the long weekend’s five pattern contests.

Had Vaucelles failed to get up, much of the credit would have been due to Mickael Barzalona as, in a slowly run mile-and-a-half event, he almost stole the race by whizzing from last to first rounding the final bend aboard the David Simcock-trained Oriental Mystique. She was still in front three strides from the line.

A daughter of Le Havre, Vaucelles has been on the fast track to stardom ever since she made a winning debut on the last day of May and the decision of her trainer, Pascal Bary, to give the Prix de Diane a miss in favour of this easier option should help her long term development. A summer rest followed by a crack at the Prix Vermeille is now on her agenda.

The Malleret may have attracted only five contestants, but that was still one more than either of the afternoon’s other two showpieces.

In the first, Charlie Appleby made it four wins from his last six French runners when his Sea The Stars gelding, Volkan Star, made all the running to land the €56,000 Group 3 Prix du Lys over a mile and a half by three-quarters of a length.

Then, four years to the day since posting his previous career best when runner-up in the 2016 Grand Prix de Paris, Ed Dunlop’s Red Verdon exhibited much the best turn of foot under Frankie Dettori to lift the €90,000 Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil (a mile and six furlongs) by a comfortable length and a quarter.