Prix du Cadran

(Group 1)

QUEST For More struck early for the British on the first day of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting at Chantilly last Saturday when the gutsy six-year-old wore down the favourite Vazirabad to win the Group 1 Qatar Prix du Cadran.

You would have not given the Roger Charlton-trained stayer too much hope at the entrance to the straight where he was last and had been for much of the two miles and four and a half furlong race.

However, George Baker managed to stoke up Quest For More and brought his mount up the middle of the track with a sustained late challenge.

A furlong out, it was odds-on Vazirabad being first past the post but he finally went under by a short neck after being collared 50 metres from the line.

Nearly Caught finished five lengths away third.

Last year, Quest For More was running in handicaps, albeit in top-class ones like the Northumberland Plate, which he won, before taking ninth place in the Emirates Melbourne Cup.

This season, he has blossomed with a fine success in the Lonsdale Cup before being touched off in the Doncaster Cup.

Now the gelding has progressed to Group 1 level and he appeared to appreciate this extreme distance over which he was running for the first time.

Charlton won the Prix du Jockey Club with Sanglamore in 1990 but he was not present at Chantilly to see his second Group 1 winner at the track.

The post-race comments were left to Baker. He said: “I wanted to be handy but he wasn’t going well early on so I left him alone.

“This was my first Group 1 winner in France and it was wonderful. He just keeps on improving. I was confident before the race and Quest For More is just an out and out stayer.”

Weather permitting, he needs good ground, the Long Distance Cup at Ascot is now on the cards as is a trip to Dubai for the Gold Cup.

This year, the Cadran was extended by half a furlong at Chantilly and this appears to have just caught out Vazirabad.

“He hangs to the right at Chantilly which is annoying but he did stick to the task this time when taking the lead,” commented Alain de Royer-Dupre.