Incroyable! Princess Zoe and Sheridan seal amazing rags-to-riches triumph

When the publishers of the French dictionary produce their next edition they can change the definition of the word "incroyable" to simply: "Princess Zoe, Prix du Cadran".

Victory for the rags-to-riches mare in the Longchamp Group 1 was always going to be extraordinary given that on her arrival from Germany she finished second in a Navan handicap off a mark of just 64.

Four wins later, her rating had soared to 109 and so had aspirations. Even so, could she possibly complete the fairytale by capturing France's Gold Cup? She could, she did – and in remarkable fashion.

At the top of the home straight, Princess Zoe and her apprentice partner Joey Sheridan, wearing the colours of siblings Paddy Kehoe and Philomena Crampton, had around eight lengths to make up on runaway leader Alkuin. For an 18-year-old rider making his Longchamp debut it was a mighty task yet his timing was incredible.

With just 30 metres left to cover, Princess Zoe grabbed the lead and the celebrations started. It was resemblant of Red Rum chasing down Crisp in the 1973 Grand National, yet in enormously attritional conditions these two were moving slower.

"After she worked last Saturday I said: 'We're going to win in France'," revealed trainer Tony Mullins, who in 1984 rode Dawn Run to win the French Champion Hurdle down the road at Auteuil.

"It's an astonishing story, I know, but I really have been so confident all week. It's so rare to have no problems when you're training a horse for a race. Normally when you push them things go wrong. Not one thing went wrong with this horse.

"It's all unbelievable but I nearly had a heart attack in the last 100 metres. I thought we weren't quite going to get there. The relief when she put her nose in front was a feeling I've never had before, even with Dawn Run. I'm pinching myself to make sure I'm awake."

The winning connections still cannot quite take in Princess Zoe's Prix du Cadran successCredit: Edward Whitaker

Mullins will need to spend 14 days in quarantine, unlike Sheridan, although the apprentice faces a 12-day suspension for excessive use of the whip. It also dawned on him he had no chance of making his flight home. Fortunately, Mullins promised to buy him a plane.

"I knew they were going too hard for the ground and the trip," said Sheridan, who became emotional once the winning line was crossed. "It means everything to me. It's a dream come true and I want to take in every second. I'm going to cherish this for the rest of my life."

Prix du Cadran result

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