Undefeated for three years, Look De Vega won the French Derby brilliantly ahead of Carlos and Yann Lerner and Ronan Thomas, leaving his perfect record at Chantilly intact in the final.
Look De Vega maintained his flawless performance by winning the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club for Carlos and Yann Lerner.
One of the market leaders along with Aidan O’Brien’s Diego Velazquez, the colt entered the race with two comfortable wins under his belt.
He broke away from the pits well and settled behind the front runners under Ronan Thomas, keeping his powder dry until the final straight when the others started to falter.
Then he took the lead, pulling away in the final two furlongs to cross the line comfortably before First Look.
Sosie took third place with the Clive Cox-trained Ghostwriter in fourth, while David Menuisier’s Sunway and Diego Velazquez finished in the pack.
It was an emotional victory for the team as Thomas took his first Group 1 victory while Carlos previously enjoyed success in the race in 2001 with Anabaa Blue. However, this is his first success as co-trainer with his son Yann.
Yann Lerner said: “It’s a big dream to win a race like this!” with future plans left wide open for the Classic scorer.
Francisco’s Piece wins Listed honors at Chantilly
Francisco’s Piece won a Listed prize at Chantilly with success in the Prix la Flèche for Adrian Keatley.
The Mayson colt raced twice at home, winning a maiden at Pontefract on his debut and then losing by a short head in a novice at York the next time.
Moving up to Listed level during his trip to France, the two-year-old competed again over 1,400 meters and was under the saddle of James Doyle.
Having started as favourite, Francisco’s Piece was still in contention on an inside line and took the lead on the final furlong to claim a two and a half length victory.
“It was a great opportunity for him, I was happy when I saw the entries and the declarations,” the trainer told Sky Sports Racing.
“He’s a good horse, it’s a huge step forward for him and we’re delighted to get this win under his belt.
“He will improve the loads, this horse is still a little behind in his coat, he is still a little underdeveloped so he will improve a lot.
Francisco’s Piece achieves Listed success for Keatley
“We could come back here for the Prix (Robert) Papin, I don’t know if Ascot is on the agenda. Everyone wants to go to Ascot but that doesn’t bother me, this guy can stay at home if he wish it!
“It’s up in the air, we’ll evaluate the horse Tuesday, Wednesday, and see if he’s lost weight and how he’s doing and then we’ll decide.”
Amy Murphy’s Itsatendfromlen made the perfect start to her career by winning the Prix d’Orgemont under Tom Marquand.
A Sergei Prokofiev colt making his debut, the chestnut produced a tidy race to win by a neck in his first experience at a racecourse and the trainer is hoping the race leads to better things.
“I think he’s very special, he’s a very big boy and he’s only going to get better today,” Murphy said.
“We weren’t hard on him to come here, he did it through his natural ability and I think he’s pretty special.
“Today that was really the goal, he’s a very laid back horse who will take whatever you throw at him.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s perfectly good enough to go to Ascot – he’s probably one of my best two-year-olds – but if that’s the route we take, we’ll see.”
