SUNDAY’S main sponsors, Darley, were provided with a thank you for their support by the result of the Darley Prix de Pomone, a Group 2 race for fillies and mares over an extended mile and a half.

Trainer André Fabre dominated here, saddling three of the first four home, much the best of his trio being the Godolphin-owned Kitesurf, a daughter of the flagship Darley stallion, Dubawi, who drew three and a half lengths clear of her 10 rivals passing the winning post.

“She’s proved herself a genuine Group 2 filly today so now we will have to start thinking in terms of a Group 1 for her,” said Godolphin’s representative, Lisa-Jane Graffard.

Appleby in top

form with double THE British notched one-two-three in the first juvenile Group 1 of the French season, the Prix Morny, and on Saturday they also took apart the locally-trained opposition in the two main two-year-old races, the Group 2 Shadwell Prix du Calvados and the valuable Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l’Elevage.

Indeed, by the end of the weekend six two-year-old pattern races had been staged in France this year and all six had been landed by cross-Channel travellers.

Charlie Appleby’s Beyond Reason is responsible for two of that tally as she followed up her Prix Six Perfections triumph of three weeks earlier with a three-length romp in the Calvados.

“She’s small but very brave and loves her racing,” was Appleby’s reaction. “I’m not sure how much she would like soft ground so the Fillies’ Mile might be a good next spot for her.”

Appleby was completing a double as 35 minutes earlier Al Hilalee had got the better of a three-way photo finish to land the Criterium, which only holds listed status but has a first prize of €61,000, with Al Hilalee.

A son of Dubawi and the 2013 Pretty Polly Stakes winner, Ambivalent, Al Hilalee is unbeaten in two career starts and Appleby suggested that he may now step straight up to Group 1 company in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on October 7th.

Great start for

Irishman Hernon

SATURDAY witnessed a fabulous start to the training career of the Co Cork native Gavin Hernon, 26-year-old son of Castlehyde Stud manager, Joe.

After serving his apprenticeship with Jim Bolger in Ireland, André Fabre and Nicolas Clement in France and Graham Motion in America, Hernon has just taken out a licence to train in Chantilly and his very first runner, the €320,000 Arqana Breeze-up purchase Icefinger, got the better of some more experienced rivals to make a winning debut in the Prix des Etalons Shadwell, a six-furlong juvenile maiden.