Erdenali shines at top table to claim Prix du Moulin honours

Erdenali graduated to the highest level in impressive style when proving too strong for the raiding party in the Qatar Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

A strong British and Irish contingent went to post for the Group One contest, with Aidan O’Brien’s Irish 2,000 Guineas hero Gstaad the hot favourite ahead of Charlie Appleby’s Opera Ballo and the Ed Walker-trained Ten Bob Tony.

Unlike that trio, Francis-Henri Graffard’s Erdenali was unproven in Group One company, but he had looked an exciting prospect in winning his first three starts and was an unlucky loser when third in a Group Three on his most recent outing.

With Opera Ballo taken on for the lead by Gstaad’s pacemaker Dorset, Appleby’s charge was a spent force entering the final furlong, at which stage Erdenali and the shock Queen Anne winner Ten Bob Tony moved up to dispute the lead.

Erdenali was always getting the better of that particular battle, however, and the pair drew clear of Gstaad, who never threatened to land a telling blow and was ultimately a bit disappointing in third.

Nemone Routh, French racing manager and director for winning owners Aga Khan Studs, told Sky Sports Racing: “We were wondering if he was going to the Arc sale or not after this, but I don’t think we will now!

“He’s not a horse that shows very much in the morning – if you’d seen him work this week you wouldn’t have been particularly impressed, but it all comes together in the afternoon.

“He should have been unbeaten – he should have won that Group Three very easily, we had just a nightmare trip.

“It was always the plan to come here, we needed to find out if he was a Group One horse and I think he’s done that quite resoundingly.”

Erdenali is Coral’s new 2-1 favourite for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot, but with connections fortunate enough to have several horses in the same division, plans are on hold for the time being.

“We have some other horses for the Prix de la Foret – we have Samangan if the ground doesn’t get too soft and we have Rayif, who might go to the QEII,” Routh added.

“I think Erdenali is in the QEII as well and we were thinking of taking him to Keeneland for a race after this, but we might have to rethink now.

“He’s definitely shown us he’s a Group One horse.”

Walker said of the runner-up Ten Bob Tony: “Thrilled, very proud of him again. I’ve slightly lost my voice.

“He’s amazing and he’s had an amazing season. He’s really stepped it up a gear, it was a huge run. I’m kind of a bit gutted as I thought we had it. I saw we had Opera Ballo and Gstaad beat and probably didn’t give the winner the respect he deserves – he looks very good and we were probably beaten by a very good horse.

“The plan was always the QEII. Whether we do the QEII and the Breeders’ Cup, we’ll see. We’ll do what’s right by him, hopefully he’ll be around for many more years.”