'It's like a victory' - trainer Jerome Reynier delighted after French ace Facteur Cheval excels in Sussex Stakes

Jerome Reynier may have missed out on becoming the first French trainer to land the Sussex Stakes since Freddy Head triumphed with Solow in 2015 but he was still celebrating after Facteur Cheval came within a length and a half of victory in Wednesday's feature race. 

The four-year-old gelding made a strong bid for a breakthrough Group 1 success under Maxime Guyon but was unable to wear down Paddington, who pulled clear in testing conditions to maintain his unbeaten record this season. 

"It's like a victory here today," Reynier said. "We really thought he was going to beat Paddington but he had the stands' rail and we were in the middle of the track and stuck in traffic. He ran a great race. He was third in a Group 1 last time, second today, and I hope next time we can win at this level.