Skalleti and Grand Glory thrive on Longchamp opening day as older brigade shine

Sunday: Longchamp

While April is the month we hope to have Classic potential revealed, it is also a time to be reacquainted with familiar faces.

The Group 2 Prix d'Harcourt brought together three of the best older horses in training in France and it was the ageless Skalleti who produced a trademark turn of foot to come from last to first, leaving a pair of Group 1 winners in Seailway and Mare Australis to fight out second place.

As when winning this race 12 months ago, the now-seven-year-old had enjoyed the benefit of a pipe-opener in the Prix Exbury and built on that when swooping down the outside under Maxime Guyon.

"It's an honour to train a horses like him and to watch him age," said trainer Jerome Reynier. "We know his achilles heel is his feet and his blacksmith, James Laubry, has done an exceptional job.

"With his stick-on shoes you can't run every fortnight so it will be either the Ganay or Prix d'Ispahan, we'll let the weather and the horse himself decide."

Reynier added: "I'd love to enter him in races like the Prince of Wales's Stakes or the Eclipse in case it rains, but you have to be reasonable – we are down in Marseille – and there is always the chance to supplement.

"His main aim once again will be the Champion Stakes at Ascot."

Runner-up Sealiway produced something much closer to his true form after failing to adapt to the Saudi dirt and trainer Francis Graffard will now look at the Ganay here in three weeks' time.

Pauline Chehboub of co-owners Haras de la Gousserie said: "This was a race with an eye to the future and so he was ridden cold at the rear. Maybe we'll have a British or Irish runner to inject some pace into the race next time as we know he appreciates that style of racing.

"I can't wait to see him again in the Ganay and, above all, in the Prince of Wales's Stakes."

The Andre Fabre-trained Mare Australis failed by a head to replicate his finishing position in this race 12 months ago but produced a fine effort on his first start since winning last season's Ganay.

"Even in the way he cantered to post, I really fell in love with the horse again," said Philip von Ullman of owner-breeders Gestut Schlenderhan, who enjoyed a double on the card in the opening three-year-old maidens courtesy of Alerio and Swoosh.

"It was great to see him fight back – for a minute I even thought we were second – and he's been beaten by only three-quarters of a length in what was a French mini-Arc today. We're delighted after 11 months' break but then Andre Fabre is Andre Fabre, he always manages something."

Grand opening

Grand Glory and Cristian Demuro return to the Longchamp winner's enclosure after beating a decent field in the Prix ZarkavaCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

Grand Glory had been due to head off to motherhood after the entrepreneur Xavier Marie paid €2.5 million at Arqana last December to add her to the broodmare band at Haras de Hus. But a change of heart saw her line up in the Listed Prix Zarkava – a race which looked more like a Group 2 – in which she had to concede 3lb to talented rivals Ebaiyra and Burgarita.

Ridden with maximum confidence by Cristian Demuro, she circled the field to fly home, putting a length and three-quarters on her principal opponents.

Trainer Gianluca Bietolini is clearly enjoying every extra day he gets with the six-year-old daughter of Olympic Glory.

"Obviously I'm very happy for her new owners, who had put a lot of money on the table and then decided they wanted to see her run in their colours," said Bietolini. "But mostly I'm really pleased for the mare. She accelerated just as well as ever, and Cristian knows her by heart."

Bietolini said he would take things one step at a time, but it would be no surprise to see Grand Glory given an entry in the Ganay on May 1.

Longchamp results

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