QATAR PRIX JEAN-LUC

LAGARDERE (GROUP 1)

THANK Heaven For Little Girls was a song made famous by Maurice Chevalier and, although Criquette Head-Maarek does not quite fit into the title, she saved Arc day for the French.

Her winner was their only thoroughbred victory of the afternoon and it came when National Defense routed six others in the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Pierre-Charles Boudot allowed the colt to bowl along at the head of affairs and the pair were never headed. They upped the pace halfway up the straight and cruised past the post four and a half lengths clear of Salouen, who stole second place off the favourite Whitecliffsofdover well inside the final furlong.

Madame Head-Maarek was winning just her fourth race of the season, which was dominated by viruses in the stable, but could she now the male equivalent of the great Treve under her care?

Judging by the performance of National Defense, there is a possibility.

The son of Invincible Spirit looked out of the ordinary when he won his maiden at Deauville by six lengths and he was then beaten three lengths by the top-class Akihiro in the Group 3 Prix des Chenes.

“Who knows if he will be as good as Treve?” commented the colt’s delighted trainer after winning her fourth Jean-Luc Lagardere, before adding: “He’s still growing and becoming stronger and will make a very good three-year-old. I told Pierre-Charles to let him gallop and do it himself. We will be looking at races on both sides of the Channel in 2017. He’s very good.”

National Defense runs in the colours of Sun Bloodstock, which is owned by Hong Kong-based Ting Kong and Danielle Cheng. They have nine horses with Head-Maarek and are building up a racing interest in France. The colt was purchased for €280,000 at the Arqana August Sale in Deauville in 2015.

The runner-up Salouen is trained by Sylvester Kirk, who said: “The winner dominated the race and did as he wanted. I am a little disappointed as I came here to win.

“He is in the Racing Post Trophy but we must first see how the colt comes out of the race.” Aidan O’Brien commented: “Whitecliffsofdover ran well. He is a powerful individual and still immature. He will progress and be even better next year.”