THE British challenge was also denied in the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Neuil but this time by a much narrower margin. In truth, Way To Paris’ nose defeat of Marmelo was not really a home victory as the son of Champs Elysees was owned, bred, trained and ridden by four different Italians.

The ownership part of that quartet is down to Paolo Ferrario and, watching from the stands, his 92-year-old heart must have been under severe strain in the closing stages as Way To Paris stretched every sinew to cling on to his lead.

Deserved

Ferrario’s involvement aside, this was a richly deserved triumph as the admirably consistent Way To Paris was snapping a 17-race losing streak that stretched back to March 2017. In the meantime he had moved from France to England and from the tutelage of Antonio Marcialis to his son, Andrea.

Marmelo’s handler, Hughie Morrison, was not best pleased that despite his jockey, Ryan Moore, feeling that a slight bump a furlong and a half from home had cost him victory, the stewards did not agree and left the result unaltered.

Marmelo finished second in last November’s Melbourne Cup and will again have that race as his ultimate target, while Way To Paris will be aimed at the Prix du Cadran a month earlier.

Running

British horses did at least continue their recent French winning spree with victories in the two listed races on the card.

Well Of Wisdom was, at odds of 11/2, much the less fancied of the two Charlie Appleby-trained juvenile colts that lined up for the €60,000 Listed Prix Roland de Chambure over seven furlongs.

However, the Coventry Stakes ninth relished this drop in class and made every inch of the running to edge out Helter Skelter with his stablemate, Saqqara King, well-beaten in third.

Hannon winner

And the Richard Hannon-trained Best Terms, never out of the first four in six previous stakes race efforts, finally became a blacktype winner when proving much too strong for the other six three-year-old fillies in the €55,000 Listed Prix de Thiberville over a mile and a half.

INNS Of Court was widely expected to repeat his 2018 victory in the Group 3 €80,000 Prix de Ris-Orangis over six furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte on Saturday evening.

Under a 7lb penalty however, he proved no match for his closest pursuer from 12 months earlier, the Thierry Lemer-trained King Malpic, who turned a two-length defeat into a three-quarter-length victory.

The result was the perfect sixth wedding anniversary present for the winning rider, Olivier Peslier, and his wife, Emilie Lafeu, who doubles as King Malpic’s owner.