WHILE the Moulin largely went to script (apart from the lacklustre effort of the second favourite, Snow Lantern, who finished a never-dangerous fourth), the same cannot be said for the four other pattern races on the card, which produced two 25/1 winners, plus a victory for Bubble Smart, never sighted in three previous Longchamp visits, all in handicap company.

The one winning favourite, or joint-favourite to be more precise, was the Prix du Jockey Club fourth, Jean-Claude Rouget’s Saiydabad, who seemed to enjoy the return to a mile and two furlongs in the Group 3 Prix du Prince d’Orange following his Grand Prix de Paris flop.

But even in victory he was not particularly convincing – he had no more than a short neck to spare over the German Derby fourth, Lord Charming, at the line.

Quick double

The Prince d’Orange completed a quick double for owner-breeder the Aga Khan as his Pivotal filly Varkesha had enjoyed a front-running success in the previous race, the €52,000 Listed Prix de la Cochere.

She may now join her Alain de Royer-Dupre stablemate, the late-blooming four-year-old, Dilawar, in the field for the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein on Arc Saturday.

Troubled passage

British visitor Charlie Appleby suffered a setback when Highland Avenue, joint-favourite with Saiydabad, trailed home in last, and was also left scratching his head following the Prix La Rochette for two-year-olds when his strong market leader, New Science, could manage no better than fourth, albeit having suffered a troubled passage up the home straight.

Victory here went to the Siyouni filly Acer Alley, trained by Francis Graffard, who did well to come from the rear in a slowly run affair to score by half a length. A half-sister to the US Grade 1 winner Digital Age, she is now set to take on the best of her own sex in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Acer Alley was partnered by 48-year-old Olivier Peslier, recently returned from a three-week lay-off following a knee operation, and the veteran went on to complete an outrageous 685/1 Group 3 double when guiding Dawn Intello to a pillar-to-post score in La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte.

Fourth in last year’s Prix du Jockey-Club but seemingly regressive since then, Dawn Intello is trained by Andreas Schutz, five-time German Champion Trainer but of late in charge of a small Chantilly-based string and enjoying his biggest French success since way back in 2005.

Proceedings were rounded off by Bubble Smart, also trained in Chantilly by Mikel Delzangles, landing a sub-standard renewal of the Prix Gladiateur (1m 7f 110y).