The Andre Fabre-trained Sosie landed Sunday’s Prix Ganay at Longchamp as Irish horses failed to hit the frame in Europe’s first Group One prize of 2025.
Joseph O’Brien’s Al Riffa finished fourth in the €300,000 contest over an extended 10 furlongs as Higher Leaves, who cut out the early running, faded to last for Henry de Bromhead.
Instead, it was Sosie who emerged on top for a second Group One success having emerged on top in last year’s Grand Prix de Paris.
Fabre’s star, fourth when favourite for last year’s Arc, made a winning seasonal debut and was too good for the favourite Map Of Stars.
Rachael Blackmore: A trailblazing career from a ferociously determined jockey
Rachael Blackmore’s retirement marks the exit of one of our finest sportspeople
Groundbreaking jockey Rachael Blackmore bows out on her own terms
Shes Perfect team believe they have ‘handy’ grounds for appeal over French Guineas disqualification
It was an eighth Ganay victory for Fabre, whose 2019 winner Waldgeist proceeded to land the Arc later that year. Fabre’s 1992 winner Subotica managed the same feat.
“The distance is a little bit short for him, but he has class enough to win,” said Fabre, who nominated Ascot’s King George in July among Sosie’s list of potential targets later this season.
Ahead of this week’s Punchestown National Hunt festival, nearby Naas hosts a flat fixture on Monday containing a Listed contest.
Old rivals Big Gossey and My Mate Alfie contest the €45,000 Anglesey Lodge Woodlands Stakes, although both may ideally prefer further the five-furlong trip.
My Mate Alfie is having a first start of the season, but Big Gossey already has a Gladness Stakes victory under his belt.
On easy ground, an alternative to both could be Two Stars who has a task on ratings but looks a proper five-furlong sprinter and has a victory already this season at the Curragh.
Star stayer Kyprios was the high point of a Ryan Moore hat-trick at Navan on Saturday and the English jockey is at Naas for a trio of Ballydoyle rides.
Most interesting of them looks to be the blue-blooded newcomer Simply Astounding, a daughter of Minding and so a half-sister to the Coolmore stallion Henry Longfellow.
Kyprios landed a third Vintage Crop Stakes at the weekend and the world’s top stayer will follow his usual route to the Ascot Gold Cup via Leopardstown’s Savel Beg Stakes next.
