AT Maisons-Laffitte on Monday there was further evidence that the 2018 crop of French two-year-olds – or at least the ones that have made it to the racecourse – are a less than vintage bunch.

The Prix Eclipse, a Group 3 event for juveniles over six furlongs, attracted a decent but not overwhelmingly strong three-strong British challenge yet the raiders filled the first two places and only a rank outsider, Graignes, denied the visitors a clean sweep by beating Archie Watson’s Showout into fourth.