IT is a long way from Henri-Alex Pantall’s stables at Beaupreau, in the far west of France, to Hoppegarten racecourse just outside Berlin in the extreme north-east of Germany, but it proved very worthwhile for the French trainer, who sent three runners to Hoppegarten’s big meeting last weekend and returned home with the meeting’s top three races in the bag.

The Godolphin-owned Magical Touch, a four-year-old daughter of Dubawi, set the ball rolling on Saturday when running out a very easy winner of the Listed Hoppegartener Steherpreis over 2,800 metres.