'Through the first half he was a nightmare' - Onesto settles to classy success

Thursday: Grand Prix de Paris, Longchamp

Onesto announced himself as a serious player on the middle-distance stage when running down the brave front-running effort of Simca Mille to lead home a French-trained one-two in the Grand Prix de Paris, the first home success in the race since 2017.

While El Bodegon stayed on bravely to be best of the rest, neither Eldar Eldarov nor Piz Badile were able to land a blow up the straight.

Trained by Fabrice Chappet, Onesto suffered a luckless passage to be fifth in the Prix du Jockey Club from a compromising wide draw.

Stephane Pasquier rode the son of Frankel with maximum confidence at the rear of the six runners, and despite Onesto pulling his arms out on the way to the start, he still had plenty of gas to fly home.

"I still have regrets about what happened in the Jockey Club when it took a long time to get him settled," said Pasquier. "Today was nearly as bad through the first half of the race when he was a bit of a nightmare. Going down to the start he was terrible.

"But I'm happy because he's got a real turn of foot and he knows how to use it. I'm delighted for Fabrice who has always been there for me."

Pasquier added: "I wanted to keep him covered up for a bit longer but I could see that Theo [Bachelot on Simca Mille] had set sail for home and I didn't want to leave myself too much to do."

Onesto was given a 20-1 quote by Paddy Power for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe - Coral were more impressed at 16-1 - a double last completed by Rail Link in 2006, ridden by one Stephane Pasquier.

Chappet has always been convinced of the colt's talent and when asked about the acceleration that took him past Simca Mille, pointed to his previous performances at Saint-Cloud and Chantilly.

"He’d already shown that in the past, in almost every race he's run," said Chappet. "He did it one more time.

"It was perfect. He relaxed early - maybe he was a bit keen in the false straight - and he showed his turn of foot.

"He came from nowhere that day [in the Jockey Club] and was a very good winner before that in the Prix Greffulhe. He always runs his race."

Asked if he will be campaigned with the Arc in mind, Chappet said: "It's a good prep today isn’t it?" before adding that he would like to bring him back in the Prix Niel on trials day.

Stephane Pasquier was winning a third Grand Prix de ParisCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

For Stephane Wattel it was another near-miss in a Group 1, although he could be nothing but proud of Simca Mille, who broke his maiden in a Chantilly handicap off a mark of 82 back in April and who has been a revelation since stepping up in trip.

The tracking sectionals proved what a gallant race Simca Mille ran, breaking 12 seconds in each of the final four furlongs and clocking only 5/100ths of a second behind the winner in the last of them.

El Bodegon was being pushed along by Ioritz Mendizabal in the false straight on ground which was arguably much quicker than ideal and James Ferguson was proud of his stable star's effort, two and a half lengths behind the principals.

"I'm absolutely delighted with the run," said Ferguson. "It's quite clear that he stays a mile and a half. I think the winner's a very good horse.

"We knew coming in, the question mark was going to be the ground. It has obviously quickened up, it's very hot and the owners gave me permission to run, for which I'm hugely grateful.

"He's run his heart out, he's come third in a Group 1 which is a huge result. When we get soft ground I think we'll see a different horse altogether.”

Quickthorn "drills them" for Tom Marquand and Hughie Morrison

Quickthorn showed both heart and class to see off his rivals under a well-judged front-running ride from Tom Marquand in the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil.

Theo Bachelot sat on his tail turning into the straight aboard The Good Man and looked poised to mount a serious challenge but Quickthorn picked up best and was well on top at the line, while the patiently-ridden Jannah Flower picked up the pieces in second.

Quickthorn lands the Group 2 Prix Maurice de NieuilCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Hughie Morrison said: "I said to Tom I was a bit worried two out and he said it was never in doubt, and that he never really got out of fourth gear. He just gets in that rhythm and he drills them."

Quickthorn was burying the memories of a poor run at Longchamp in the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak and Morrison is in no doubt the son of Nathaniel is up to that level.

"He can go to the next level," said Morrison. "You can forget about last year as he had an issue when he got home. We sorted that out and I think the world's his oyster now.

"He obviously got beat by a very good horse first time out [in Trueshan]. There are plenty of Group 1s in the Autumn, let's hope we can keep him in the form he was today."

Morrison added: "I'm tempted to go up in grade and he's in the Irish Leger, while I'd love to bring him back for the Cadran, because this isn't his ground."

Raclette begins to bloom for Fabre and Peslier

She was one of the most talked about horses in France at the start of the year but after looking anything but a world-beater in the spring, Raclette earned her Group 2 stripes when getting the better of a three-way battle with Lastotchka and Baiykara in the Prix de Malleret.

It was the biggest success yet this season for the reformed partnership of Olivier Peslier and Andre Fabre.

"I was pleased she made a good start and could follow the pace, which she hasn’t been able to," said Peslier. "Today she travelled well and fought well when we accelerated.

"She has come back and Andre Fabre is a superstar. He told me she was coming back and was getting better and better and so I was very confident."

Sign up to receive On The Nose, our essential daily newsletter, from the Racing Post. Your unmissable morning feed, direct to your email inbox every morning.