POOR Luis Enrique thought he had pulled off one of the finest sporting achievements his city had seen for some time when guiding Paris Saint-Germain to back-to-back Champions League titles last Saturday. Less than 24 hours later, some up-and-coming trainer by the name of Aidan O’Brien decided to go one step further in Paris.

An exceptional 1-2-3 from a trio of runners in the French Derby was a training achievement right out of the top drawer from the Ballydoyle supremo. In spite of six of the previous nine Prix du Jockey Club winners coming from stalls one, two or three, Ryan Moore made light work of a wide draw in stall 15 on Constitution River. In fairness, Hawk Mountain (drawn in 11 under Christophe Soumillon) and Montreal (stall eight, ridden by Wayne Lordan) each appeared to show their maximum for now in reaching the frame too.