THE French equivalents of the Guineas – the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and the Poule d’Essai des Poulains – were run at Deauville again this year, with the winners up to standard if not quite of the calibre seen at Newmarket. Unfortunately, video analysis suggests that at least some of the official sectionals were dubious (as they had been 12 months before), meaning that we do not know for sure what pace the colts’ race, in which Brametot and Le Brivido came from the rear, was run at.

The overall time is pretty good, however, worth a figure of 118 on the first two, and it is at least possible that third-placed Rivet, who helped cut out the running, did better than the result. Rivet ran a 111 timefigure here, as he had done when finding only Eminent too good in a record-breaking Craven Stakes at Newmarket.