LAST weekend’s feature on the flat was the Group 2 Prix Edmond Blanc at Saint-Cloud. The mile contest featured last year’s Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) winner Olmedo among the six runners.

Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, he had to settle for fourth place, without really posing a threat to the top three in the last furlong.

The leader, Graphite, was headed by The Revenant (by Dubawi) in the closing stages to win the battle by a head.

The winner was posting a third consecutive success on this course after winning the Listed Prix Altipan earlier in the month.

This four-year-old chesnut gelding began his career with Hugo Palmer across the Channel and joined Francis Graffard’s stables last September.

He has now won five races in France. He was bred by his owner, Al Asayl, who owns his dam, Group 3 St Simon Stakes winner Hazel Lavery.

Also on the card, Starmaniac (by Sea The Stars) snatched victory in the Class 1 race for three-year-old colts and geldings, the one-mile, two-and-a-half-furlong Prix Tourbillon. The Wertheimer & Frère homebred, making his three-year-old debut, beat Makmour by half a length.

Entered in the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club and the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris, Starmaniac is now a winner of two of his three races and is a son of Plumania, wh o won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

In the fillies’ equivalent over the same distance, the Prix Durban, Cartiem (by Cape Cross) won handily by a neck for trainer Jean Claude-Rouget.

The five-year-old gelding Called To The Bar (by Henrythenavigator) got the better of his old rival Holdthasigreen by a neck to win the Listed Prix Right Royal over a mile and seven furlongs at Chantilly on Monday.

GoliAth takes giant strides

FRENCH jumping has been known for having many entire horses competing and later going on to a stud career.

The latest entire to stand out from the crowd is the four-year-old colt Goliath Du Berlais (by Saint Des Saints) who dominated the four-year-old Grade 3 Prix Fleuret Chase last Sunday at Auteuil. He immediately took the lead, jumped all the obstacles on the 4,400-metre trip impeccably, and beat Bel Apsis, who tried to challenge him going into the final straight, by four lengths. Altus, another son of Saint Des Saints, finished third, five lengths further back.

Goliath Du Berlais is owned by Haras d’Etreham (where his sire is based), Stéphane Szwarc and Palmyr Racing, and his trainer Guillaume Macaire.