Hurricane Lane blows away rivals in G1 Grand Prix de Paris

Hurricane Lane produced a sensational display as he routed his opposition to record a quickfire G1 double over a mile and a half in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp, France, on Wednesday.

The Frankel colt had already established himself among the best three-year-olds in Europe with a swooping victory for Charlie Appleby in the G1 Irish Derby at the Curragh just 18 days earlier.

After breaking smartly and disputing the early running, Hurricane Lane soon settled in a clear second as The Mediterranean led the 11-strong field.

Hurricane Lane closed in on The Mediterranean entering the final-quarter mile and put the race to bed in a matter of strides as he powered clear a furlong and a half from home.

He opened up further daylight inside the final furlong, hitting the line strongly under William Buick to come home six lengths clear of Irish Derby third Wordsworth.

William Buick said: “I would like to thank France Galop, the medical team and everyone for allowing us to come over here during these difficult times. We had the required documents and vaccinations, so we were able to come. We were not quite sure on Monday but thankfully we got through.

“This horse is just a superstar. Today’s race was very smooth – he had a smoother race today than the one he had in Ireland last time. For him, the pace felt normal today, which is the sign of a good horse and you can see from the 400m-pole that he has a turn of foot as well.

“He has the pace and the turn of foot, while he also has a very good mind. He is a beautiful horse and I am very lucky to be able to ride a horse like him. Full credit to Charlie and the team for getting him here after a hard race in the Irish Derby.

“This track is perfect for him and the ground was on the easy side of good today. I am sure that the team will consider him for the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe over the same course and distance in October.”

Meanwhile, Sublimis gained a second straight placing at G2 level when coming home third in the Prix Maurice de Nieuil over a mile and three-quarters at Longchamp, France, on Wednesday.

The Andre Fabre-trained son of Shamardal, stepping back up in trip following a half-length second in the 12-furlong G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, was held up in a clear last of the four runners for most of the race.

He progressed to third with two furlongs left and stayed on after being switched out by Mickael Barzalona soon after, going down by just under a length and three-quarters in total behind Valia.

Lisa-Jane Graffard of Godolphin said: “Sublimis produced another solid performance and ran up to the level of form he has shown all season.”

Elsewhere, a federal judge ruled the New York Racing Association’s (NYRA) suspension of thoroughbred trainer Bob baffert unconstitutional on Wednesday, allowing him to run horses in the state again.

The ruling was a legal win for baffert who has been battling since his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit returned a positive post-race test for betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory that can’t be used on race days.

Brooklyn-based judge Carol Bagley said the NYRA acted improperly in suspending baffert without holding a hearing.

The NYRA had acted after Churchill Downs banned the seven-time Kentucky Derby winner baffert from running at the track for two years.

Despite that ban by the Louisville track, Medina Spirit’s Kentucky Derby victory still stands, pending further investigation by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission.

baffert, who guided horses to Triple Crown victories in both 2015 and 2018, says the steroid was contained in an ointment used to treat a skin complaint Medina Spirit had been suffering.

He sued the NYRA over its suspension, and Bagley ruled that the association was required to give him a prompt hearing.

“NYRA has held no hearing - let alone a prompt one,” she wrote. “With so much on the line, baffert was entitled to (at least) a ‘prompt’ post-deprivation hearing which should have already occurred.”

The ruling means that baffert can enter horses in the prestigious meeting at Saratoga, New York, that starts on Thursday.

“I have said from the beginning that, following the Kentucky Derby, there was an improper rush to judgment and Mr. baffert has been treated unfairly,” baffert’s attorney Craig Robertson said.

“This is one step, in one venue, toward righting those wrongs.”

Agencies