Is this an Arc filly? Ebaiyra blooms at Saint-Cloud for Alain de Royer-Dupre

Ebaiyra looks set for a diet exclusively comprising Group 1 targets after confirming her superiority over Raabihah with a comprehensive success in the Prix Corrida over 1m2½f at Saint-Cloud on Wednesday.

Alain de Royer-Dupre delayed his retirement after last season's proposed swansong was interrupted by the Covid-19 crisis and the Aga Khan's four-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor looks as if she may have been well worth waiting for.

Christophe Soumillon slipstreamed Cristian Demuro for much of the race and, while the reply was not instant when he asked Ebaiyra to pick up on the heavy ground, she was on top well before the line, while Raabihah was all out to hold off No Limit Credit and All Rumours for second.

Ebaiyra started the day a general 40-1 chance for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and was cut to 20-1 by BoyleSports, while bet365 and Sky Bet go only 16-1.

"She has made enormous progress from three to four and last year she wasn't capable of that sort of acceleration," said Royer-Dupre.

"Logically she will come back for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, she needs to be running at Group 1 level now."

Royer-Dupre ended last season by attempting to stretch Ebaiyra out to staying trips in the Prix Royal-Oak, but she has evolved into a potent middle-distance mare, adding this success to her comeback win over Raabihah in the Prix Allez France at Longchamp.

He added: "We spent the winter thinking she might not quite have the level to win a Group 1 in Europe and had looked at a race for her in the US. But I knew from her comeback win the other day that she was not the same horse we saw last year and we needed to change her programme, which is why [stablemate] Valia was then diverted to the longer Vicomtesse Vigier.

Alain de Royer-Dupre: will aim Ebaiyra at the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud before considering such options as the Yorkshire Oaks and the ArcCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

"She has a big frame and didn't have the strength last year, but now she is beautifully balanced which allows her to launch that acceleration. It's all a case of physical development because mentally she was always very brave.

"I think she goes on any kind of ground and it is an Aga Khan family that has always done well with cut, mostly in Ireland."

Asked about a the big autumn double at Longchamp of the Vermeille and the Arc, Royer-Dupre replied: "Why not those races? And then there is York and the Prix Jean-Romanet [at Deauville] as well."

Full result

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