Francis-Henri Graffard trained the first two home as Vertical Blue caused an 100-1 upset in flooring hot favourite Zarigana in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp.
All the talk pre-race surrounded the Aga Khan-owned market leader – who is a granddaughter of the great Zarkava – and after travelling in mid-division it looked as though she would only have to peg back Aidan O’Brien’s enterprisingly-ridden Exactly to prevail.
Her stablemate Vertical Blue went with her, however, and the judge had to be called to announce the outsider as the winner with Zarigana narrowly behind and Exactly in third.