Head and Highclere to the fore as super maidens live up to expectations

Deauville staged the last two of its 'super maidens' on Tuesday and the likelihood is that they may once again have thrown up a couple of decent winners.

Unlike the newcomers' races on August 8 (won by Olmedo and Efaadah), the position in the calendar of the Prix de Montaigu and the Prix la Reboursiere means they are in competition with some traditionally strong maidens run back in Paris, where the circus is due to return after this Sunday's Grand Prix de Deauville meeting.

They both produced a taking performance from the winner, although in starkly contrasting fashion.

Luminate was cheered to the rafters by members of Highclere Thoroughbred's Victoria Pendleston Syndicate after getting up in the dying strides under Aurelien Lemaitre to open her account by a head in the fillies' race, the Prix la Reboursiere.

Highlere have already enjoyed notable success with Head thanks to the exploits of Chartreuse, who was beaten on her debut at this meeting two years ago but went on to win at Listed level and was twice narrowly denied Group 3 success.

The daughter of Lawman became Head's fourth individual juvenile winning filly on turf at the meeting. Even with the caveats about whether this was the deepest two-year-old race of the meeting, there were four and a half lengths back to the third.

Wootton can fly flag for Almanzor's sire

Alex Pantall has the Prix de Diane Longines in his sights with Sistercharlie

As well as the small matter of winning the Arc, one of the stated aims of keeping Almanzor in training at four was to further advertise the claims of Haras d'Etreham's young sire Wootton Bassett.

While neither goal was furthered before the announcement on Sunday evening that Almanzor had run his last race, the victory less than 48 hours later of Wootton in the Prix de Montaigu was a timely boost for the stallion.

In a performance which recalled National Defense's victory here 12 months ago, Wootton careened six lengths clear under Mickael Barzalona to score for trainer Alex Pantall.

The winner showed a degree of immaturity in swerving away from the first crack of the whip but soon understood what was required and covered the final three furlongs in a faster time than experienced three-year-old handicappers over the same mile course and distance an hour earlier.

After being drawn wide, Barzalona bounced his partner into an early lead and it will be interesting to see if Pantall opts to give Wootton another outing in intermediate company with the aim of finding out if such forcing tactics are necessary for the colt.

Most of the jockeys in behind were rowing away by the time the field straightened up and, while a six-length defeat might not sound the best start in life, runner up Act Of God did enough from an unpromising position to suggest he may be worth following as well.

Burke without peers in juvenile raids

Karl Burke poses with Havana Grey (2nd) and Unfortunately (1st) after saddling the 1-2 in Sunday's Darley Prix Morny at DeauvilleCredit: Patrick McCann

Karl Burke has rightly received every plaudit going for the remarkable feat of saddling the one-two in the Darley Prix Morny on Sunday.

So much so that the efforts of Laurens on Saturday in chasing home the Head-trained Polydream in the Group 3 Prix du Calvados might have been missed in some quarters.

While the winner looks tailor made for a drop back to six furlongs in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes – where she is likely to meet Morny third Different League – Burke was delighted with the efforts of Laurens, who he sees as a mile-and-a-quarter filly for next season.

The daughter of Siyouni cost owner John Dance £220,000 last September but has plenty of French connections having been sent to Doncaster by Normandy-based Swede Anna Drion's Coulonces Sales.

As a result she is qualified for the lucrative French premiums and it would be no surprise to see her line up in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac in a little over five weeks.