French flyer proves different league to hold off hotpot Centauri

This Group 3 contest over six furlongs for fillies produced the first French-trained winner but one with a distinct Irish flavour.

The 20-1 Different League held 2-1 favourite Alpha Centauri by a neck to give her trainer Matthieu Palussiere and 26-year-old jockey Antoine Hamelin a first Royal Ascot winner.

Different League is owned by Con Marnane of Bansha House Stables in County Tipperary, where he specialises in buying and selling young horses, and his wife Theresa.

And adding to the Irish connection is the fact Palussiere spent 18 years in Ireland, pre-training and working as an assistant before training there.

Marnane said: "This is fantastic. We bought this filly as a foal but couldn't sell her as a yearling due to a minor problem. We decided to send her to France because of the better prize-money. She won her first two races and to come here and win the Albany is dream stuff.

Palussiere, who trains at Maisons-Laffitte, said: "I was confident of a very good run from Different League and would have been disappointed if we hadn't been in the first four or five.

"I left things up to Antoine and he took the right options. Our filly has a great temperament and is very professional. This win means everything and to win here is perfect. We have a few races in mind but we'll wait a bit before announcing plans."

That winning feeling: owner Con Marnane with rider Antoine HamelinCredit: Caroline Norris

The winning trainer added: "I was in Ireland for 18 years. I worked for four years breaking horses and pre-training for the Aga Khan before spending four years with Mick Halford. I then started training and had 18 winners in Ireland."

It is understood that the Prix Morny is a likely target for the daughter of Dabirsim, whose first two wins were achieved at Lyon Parilly and Angers.

There were no excuses from Jessica Harrington or Colm O’Donoghue for Alpha Centauri, who made a brave bid to retain her unbeaten record.

Harrington said: "Our filly has run a brilliant race. When they quickened the winner got a length on her but Alpha Centauri was coming back at her all the way to the line. The ground wasn't an issue.

"After two easy wins at Naas, today was the first time she had to get down and race. She'll definitely stay further and, while we'll wait and see how she comes out of the race, I'd imagine we'll aim her at the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes over seven furlongs at the Curragh in September."

O’Donoghue added: "Alpha Centauri ran a very good race and there are no excuses."

There was a three-length gap back to Take Me With You in third.

The winner was given a 25-1 quote for the 1,000 Guineas by Paddy Power.

Power to the provinces

Different League may be trained in one of the Paris region’s main training complexes at Maisons-Laffitte but, after breaking her maiden at Lyon Parilly, the daughter of Dabirsim was sent by Matthieu Palussiere to Angers to continue her education in a Class 2 conditions event restricted to horses yet to win €9,000.

Angers stages 20 meetings a year and is arguably better known for its jumping and trotting programme, although it did host a Group 3 on the Flat in 2016 to mark 100 years since the Prix du Jockey Club was run there owing to the first world war.

Plenty of trainers use the provinces to get experience into their horses, and not just those like Jean-Claude Rouget or Alex Pantall who are based away from Chantilly.

One recent example is Group 1 winning juvenile French Fifteen, who broke his maiden for Nicolas Clement at Wissembourg near the Franco-German border.

And Andre Fabre thought nothing of sending the twice-raced maiden Soleil Marin to Cholet in the Loire Valley to get on the winners board last September.

Four starts later the colt won the Group 3 Prix La Force and was sent off at just 11-1 for the Prix du Jockey Club this month.

Albany Stakes result