Marianafoot swoops late to continue winning sequence in Maurice de Gheest

Sometimes sprinters play a trick on the eye and so it was as the Prix Maurice de Gheest changed in an instant from a wide-open charge for the line to a one-horse race.

That one horse was Marianafoot, who has been nursed through the ranks by France's man of the season, Jerome Reynier, and who killed off his rivals in the space of 50 metres under Mickael Barzalona to record an eighth straight success and a first at Group 1 level.

Approaching the furlong marker it was Starman who looked ready to dominate the finish, but once Barzalona shook the reins at Marianafoot, the July Cup winner began to come under serious pressure and was run out of second close home by Tropbeau, while the ageless Brando charged home to be fourth.

A delighted Reynier said: "The plan really worked beautifully. Over this distance we wanted to attack in the final 100 metres because we know he stays further and some of the others are pure sprinters."

Connections will now mull the Deauville sprint/mile double over consecutive weekends famously completed by Moonlight Cloud in 2013.

"We won't rush to decide, but he'll stay up here and he could run in the Jacques le Marois, depending on how he comes out of this and how the race shapes up," said Reynier. "Palace Pier is no back number, is he?"

The son of Footstepsinthesand has been given a series of easier races on the road back from a serious injury sustained in Qatar which kept him out of action for most of last year.

Team Marianafoot: trainer Jerome Reynier (navy suit) with Mickael Barzalona and owner Jean-Claude Seroul (far right)Credit: Scott Burton

Reynier has always put the horse first, as has been the case with another six-year-old star to carry the orange and silver hoops of Jean-Claude Seroul in Skalleti, the last home-trained winner of a French Group 1 in the Prix d'Ispahan on May 30.

"I was sick to miss the chance to run him last year but he has made up for lost time this year," said Reynier. "We're looking at the Breeders' Cup Mile at the end of the year as his last race and the Foret would be a good target in between, as long as it isn't too soft.

"We have a challenge between Skalleti and Marianafoot to see who will be the first to lose. To have two six-year-olds of this quality is exceptional and to be able to keep them going is wonderful."

Tropbeau returned to form on a track where she has thrived, equalling trainer Andre Fabre's best finish in this rare Group 1 to elude him at scarcely believable odds of 92-1.

For Ed Walker there was pride and frustration in equal measure as Starman confirmed the suspicion that he is not quite as explosive on rain-softened ground, for all that his wheels didn't spin as they had at Ascot last year.

Starman and Tom Marquand ahead of the Prix Maurice de Gheest at DeauvilleCredit: Racing Post/Scott Burton

"He's run a huge race and we had to give it a go," said Walker. "The ground wasn't that bad, it's just he's not as brilliant as he is on fast ground. I'd love to take them all on again on fast ground. But the cards are not falling that way this year and it makes it very difficult to know what to do and where to go next.

"He's gone and won his race and then just emptied on the ground, he's not been able to see it through. And credit to the winner who does nothing but keep winning."

Walker added: "He's still an inexperienced horse. I think he's getting better and better and I think he'll continue to do so as long as we don't over-race him.

"I'd be surprised if he didn’t race on at five as long as he's well, because he might not run again this year. Covid is stopping us travelling and Hong Kong is impossible at the moment, while Haydock and Ascot look like they will be out."

Nine-year-old Brando was adding fourth place to a win in 2017 and also finished runner-up here two years ago.

Tom Eaves said: "We probably could have been second because we were locked up on the rail for a while when everyone came standside. But he ran his race."

Watch live races through the Racing Post. Log in to your bookmaker account and look on the racecards for eligible races. Click the red 'Watch live now' icon and they're off! Find out how here