'He keeps getting quicker' - Buick so sweet on Hurricane Lane after Paris rout

Hurricane Lane brushed off an 18 day turn around to steamroller his Grand Prix de Paris rivals in a pitiless display.

Last month’s Irish Derby hero was tackling a much softer surface at Longchamp than for his narrow Classic success at the Curragh but William Buick always had him in the perfect striking position and by the top of the straight it already looked a matter of when and by how far.

He is now 11-2 co-favourite alongside Snowfall and Love with bet365 to win the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe back in Paris in October.

At the line he was six lengths clear of Wordsworth, with a held-up Alenquer edging out pacesetter The Mediterranean to complete the domination of the visitors.

Buick said: "It was a more straightforward race for me than in Ireland. We were better placed today and the ground was maybe a little bit kinder on him. But I think he's improved again.

"Credit to Charlie and the team at home to get him out of the Irish Derby. He had a hard race there and they were adamant this was a good target for him and they've been repaid.

"He keeps getting quicker. In Ireland he showed a bit of a turn of foot. And then today, I know the ground is slow today but it's quite a quick track. You run downhill and then the straight is dead flat, there's no rise in it. He really picked up. He put it to bed really quick. He's improved again and he's just a very good horse."

Number 1: William Buick with Hurricane Lane after their dominant display in the Grand Prix de ParisCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

Hurricane Lane's latest success, following wins in the Dante and Irish Derby, continued Appleby and Godolphin's remarkable run with the Classic generation over middle distances.

Adayar, who is set to run in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes at Ascot next week, won last month's Derby, while geldings Kemari and Yibir have won the Queen's Vase and Bahrain Trophy in recent weeks.

Buick added: "Charlie will speak to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and they will make a plan for the horse. I would say one eye will certainly be back here in October."

For Appleby there can have been few moments of worry watching from Newmarket and such was the class of Hurricane Lane's performance that those who have taken odds about the Cazoo St Leger may be out of luck.

"Today’s performance has franked him as one of the best three-year-olds in Europe and he’s an exciting horse," said Appleby. "As we always do we’ll allow the dust to settle but you would have to be thinking about him as a serious contender for the Arc.

Hurricane Lane stretches clear of his toiling Grand Prix de Paris rivals under William BuickCredit: Scoop Dyga/France Galop

"We’ll give him a bit of a break now because he’s run in an English Derby, and Irish Derby and then backed it up two and a half weeks later in a Grand Prix de Paris."

Appleby added: "He deserves to have a break but whether he can give himself a break is another thing. He ran in the Grand Prix because he'd come out of the Irish Derby so well.

"He has a great constitution, a great mind and he show his well being in the morning."

Olivier Peslier was one of the first to get after his mount in the false straight and Wordsworth responded in kind but managed to finish only a length closer here than at the Curragh.

Peslier said: "He was a bit cold in the run and I had to wake him up a little just to get on the tail of the leader. He ran well to be a courageous second and I think he will be better over further in something like the St Leger."

Hurricane Lane is a dominant winner of the Grand Prix de Paris with Wordsworth and Alenquer in behindCredit: © Aprh / Quentin Bertrand

Faced with a similar problem as when drawn out wide in the Arc aboard Sea Of Class, James Doyle once again elected to half miss the kick on Alenquer and head for the rail.

He came home best of all and looks a horse that will be interesting once back on a decent surface.

"As we know it’s not easy historically from the wide draw at Longchamp over a mile and a half," said Doyle. "I rode him to come home and he’s finished off very well. We were on the back foot a little bit and I had a little look up around the 800 metres out and I thought we had a bit of a mountain to climb.

"If the pace had held up it would have given me a chance but they did sort of steady at half way and made it very difficult for me to get into it. But I'm very proud of him, he’s run a solid race and he’s got the trip well."

Full race result

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