Telecaster dominates Grand Prix de Deauville after 'learning to be a racehorse'

Telecaster showed himself well able to handle both testing conditions and a mile and a half when running away from Soft Light and Ziyad to register a commanding victory in the Group 2 Lucien Barriere Grand Prix de Deauville.

In doing so he opened up a wealth of options for trainer Hughie Morrison, as summed up by Ladbrokes, who quoted the son of New Approach at 33-1 for both the Arc and the Melbourne Cup. The same firm are 20-1 about the Caulfield Cup, while Paddy Power inserted Telecaster into their Champion Stakes market at 16-1.

In testing ground that bordered on the extreme, Christophe Soumillon elected to make the running in order to ensure occupancy of a fresher strip next to the rail.

But it is the Morrison team's patience that has turned around this one-time tearaway, who was returning to a mile and a half for the first time since the 2019 Derby.

"He's just worked it out," said Morrison. "At York and then following it up at home he's just worked it out. Trying to teach him to be a proper racehorse in a six week period, which he was forced into last year, just didn't work. But it's great that we’ve got him back even better, now that he's learnt.

"Soft ground is a help because he goes on it and a lot of horses don't when it goes that way. We've got lots of options and where we go next, God knows. He's in the Arc and he's in a couple of Group 1s in Germany as well."

Breathtaking Look makes trip worthwhile

Breathtaking Look followed up a series of excellent placed efforts at Pattern level with success for Newmarket-based Stuart Williams in the Group 3 Prix de Meautry Barriere at Deauville.

"She deserved that," Williams said. "She probably should have won at York, but ended up going a bit soon and just got caught by one coming from right at the back.

"It was a good effort in the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes last time and she won the Sceptre Stakes at Doncaster last year really well, so she's definitely a Group-class filly and showed it again today.

"She might end up going back to try to win the Sceptre for a second time, but I'll talk with her owner and we'll make a plan from there. We'll stick to somewhere straight rather than going around a bend."

Breathtaking Look was just the second starter in France for the yard after Eton Rifles won the last of four straight victories in the same Listed race at Fontainebleau in 2014.

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