Gezora takes Prix de Diane honours at Chantilly from Bedtime Story
She kept finding for pressure all the way to the line, having enough in reserve to hold off the Aidan O'Brien-trained Bedtime Story, who only narrowly failed to come from last to first under Ryan Moore.
The Charlie Fellowes-trained Shes Perfect turned for home and momentarily looked she would again be involved at the business end, but while she was in front with two furlongs to run, she had raced keenly in second and was ultimately eased by Kieran Shoemark when her chance had gone.
Gezora was beaten by stablemate Mandanaba on her initial start in April, but the Almanzor filly landed the Prix Saint-Alary last time – a performance which gave Graffard plenty of confidence.
He said: 'She ran a nice race at Longchamp, she showed something new to me. She's improving all time and I saw after the race she really improved again, she was so happy, so confident in herself.'
Bookmaker reaction was positive to a Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe bid, with Coral introducing Gezora at 14-1, and Graffard added: 'It's great to have the Arc 'win and you're in races' and we know she loves the soft ground and we close no doors.'
Soumillon praised the winner's heart for a battle, saying: 'When they started to quicken in the straight I was following them really easily, I knew she'd be able to change gear and that's exactly what she did. The pace was on and she was ready to react at the right time.
'I saw Ryan coming on my outside and thought 'here comes Aidan again!', but she had a great heart and we won it.'
Asked about the Arc, the rider said: 'She can do a mile and a half, I think, we'll see what she can do in the Vermeille. We know she likes soft ground and the form from the Prix de Conde (last year) was great, the winner (Lazy Griff) was second in the Derby at Epsom and here (she is) the winner of the Prix de Diane, so sometimes you never know.'
For owner Peter Brant, the victory in his White Birch Farm colours was the realisation of a long-held ambition to win the French fillies' Classic.
Brant purchased Gezora after she won two of her four juvenile starts and was thrilled to see her better Sistercharlie, who was beaten just a length in the 2017 renewal before going on to a stellar American career.
He said: 'I think it's probably one of the three or four races I've dreamt of winning. I think it's the greatest three-year-old filly race – it's always stiff competition.
'We were second with Sistercharlie, a great filly who won seven Grade Ones and she couldn't even win this race because she got into trouble. It's a very difficult race to predict.'
O'Brien said of the runner-up: 'We're delighted with Bedtime Story's performance. She ran a magnificent race. Her improvement is clear. I've consistently run her in good races, and she's now showing her true form.
'This result, over this distance, opens a lot of doors. I'm not sure yet what we'll do next. We need to see how she comes out of it.'
Meanwhile, Fellowes will now drop back in distance with Shes Perfect, who finished ninth, and could also dip in class in search of what would a deserved Group-race win.
He said: 'I think it's clear she just didn't really stay. I always thought 10 furlongs would be in her range, but then she did a really sparkling piece of work earlier in the week and I thought maybe she had more speed than I gave her credit for.
'She won a Pouliches so we have a very, very good filly, it was the right thing to roll the dice here over 10 furlongs and we have learned a lot.
'The Falmouth would be the obvious race for her, but we might even think about dropping back in grade to try to get her head in front, give her a bit of a confidence boost and get that stakes win.
'I have a slight niggle in the back of my head that she might prefer a bit of ease underfoot, even though she ran so well in the Pouliches, maybe she was just saving herself a bit today as I walked the course and it was fast enough.
'If it turned up quick for her next run, I wouldn't shy away, but I think we'll let the dust settle a bit before making a firm plan.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- South Wales Guardian
Balding: We'll work back from the Arc with Kalpana
Andrew Balding's four-year-old had run admirably in defeat in both her prior outings this term, last seen going down fighting in a titanic dual with Whirl on the Curragh last month. Returned to her favoured distance of a mile and a half, it momentarily looked like Kalpana had slipped the field when Oisin Murphy asked the Juddmonte-owned filly to quicken. However, hot on her tail was Francis-Henri Graffard's French raider Calandagan, who ensured Kalpana had to once again dip into her reserves and battle before being thwarted close home. 'I'm very proud of her, she's run her heart out again and just been beaten by a very good horse,' said Balding. 'She's done nothing wrong, had every chance, just bumped into a quick one on the day. 'It would have probably helped our cause if a bit more rain had got into the ground, but we can't complain.' For Juddmonte it was once again Graffard who proved their nemesis after Goliath denied Bluestocking 12 months ago. Ralph Beckett's filly would of course claim the Prix Vermeille and then the Arc, and hopes are high Kalpana could do the same. THE FRENCH RAIDER HAS DONE IT! 🇫🇷 CALANDAGAN WINS THE KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 26, 2025 Her route to the Arc could see her follow Bluestocking and head to ParisLongchamp for an early sighter in the Vermeille. But Balding could instead use another route successfully used by a Juddmonte star in the past – and search for back-to-back victories in Kempton's September Stakes, a race Enable won before downing Sea Of Class in the French capital in 2018. 'She's a class act and she's tightened up again since her two runs and come forward again, we're excited about the autumn,' added Balding. 'I would have thought that was a career-best effort and we'll be working back from Paris in October. 'She's in the Yorkshire Oaks, but she's had a hard race today and we'll work back from the Arc. 'We could head to the Vermeille, but she hasn't won a race yet this year so could go to the September Stakes without a penalty which might be an easier 'in'. 'It is likely to be one or the other and there's an extra week this year from the Vermeille to the Arc so anything is possible. 'The Kempton race she won last year and is on our doorstep and you are guaranteed the surface. But the Vermeille could be a good shot at a Group One, so we'll see.' Also given an international objective, albeit further afield, is Charlie Appleby's stable stalwart Rebel's Romance who was a luckless third in his quest to follow up Hardwicke Stakes success at Royal Ascot. Short of room at a vital stage, William Buick was forced to sit and suffer, as he repeated last year's placed effort in the race. Appleby said: 'He ran a solid race. It was a tactical race in a small field and no one would have expected the leader to be who it was (Jan Brueghel). It was very slow fractions in the first half a mile. 'We were in that pocket and with a horse that we know gallops we would have liked to have got out and got rolling. The rain earlier was nothing and that didn't settle the dust. 'He will go on his travels again now and we will point him towards the Canadian International.'
North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Balding: We'll work back from the Arc with Kalpana
Andrew Balding's four-year-old had run admirably in defeat in both her prior outings this term, last seen going down fighting in a titanic dual with Whirl on the Curragh last month. Returned to her favoured distance of a mile and a half, it momentarily looked like Kalpana had slipped the field when Oisin Murphy asked the Juddmonte-owned filly to quicken. However, hot on her tail was Francis-Henri Graffard's French raider Calandagan, who ensured Kalpana had to once again dip into her reserves and battle before being thwarted close home. 'I'm very proud of her, she's run her heart out again and just been beaten by a very good horse,' said Balding. 'She's done nothing wrong, had every chance, just bumped into a quick one on the day. 'It would have probably helped our cause if a bit more rain had got into the ground, but we can't complain.' For Juddmonte it was once again Graffard who proved their nemesis after Goliath denied Bluestocking 12 months ago. Ralph Beckett's filly would of course claim the Prix Vermeille and then the Arc, and hopes are high Kalpana could do the same. THE FRENCH RAIDER HAS DONE IT! 🇫🇷 CALANDAGAN WINS THE KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 26, 2025 Her route to the Arc could see her follow Bluestocking and head to ParisLongchamp for an early sighter in the Vermeille. But Balding could instead use another route successfully used by a Juddmonte star in the past – and search for back-to-back victories in Kempton's September Stakes, a race Enable won before downing Sea Of Class in the French capital in 2018. 'She's a class act and she's tightened up again since her two runs and come forward again, we're excited about the autumn,' added Balding. 'I would have thought that was a career-best effort and we'll be working back from Paris in October. 'She's in the Yorkshire Oaks, but she's had a hard race today and we'll work back from the Arc. 'We could head to the Vermeille, but she hasn't won a race yet this year so could go to the September Stakes without a penalty which might be an easier 'in'. 'It is likely to be one or the other and there's an extra week this year from the Vermeille to the Arc so anything is possible. 'The Kempton race she won last year and is on our doorstep and you are guaranteed the surface. But the Vermeille could be a good shot at a Group One, so we'll see.' Also given an international objective, albeit further afield, is Charlie Appleby's stable stalwart Rebel's Romance who was a luckless third in his quest to follow up Hardwicke Stakes success at Royal Ascot. Short of room at a vital stage, William Buick was forced to sit and suffer, as he repeated last year's placed effort in the race. Appleby said: 'He ran a solid race. It was a tactical race in a small field and no one would have expected the leader to be who it was (Jan Brueghel). It was very slow fractions in the first half a mile. 'We were in that pocket and with a horse that we know gallops we would have liked to have got out and got rolling. The rain earlier was nothing and that didn't settle the dust. 'He will go on his travels again now and we will point him towards the Canadian International.'
Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Glasgow Times
Balding: We'll work back from the Arc with Kalpana
Andrew Balding's four-year-old had run admirably in defeat in both her prior outings this term, last seen going down fighting in a titanic dual with Whirl on the Curragh last month. Returned to her favoured distance of a mile and a half, it momentarily looked like Kalpana had slipped the field when Oisin Murphy asked the Juddmonte-owned filly to quicken. However, hot on her tail was Francis-Henri Graffard's French raider Calandagan, who ensured Kalpana had to once again dip into her reserves and battle before being thwarted close home. Kalpana went down fighting at Ascot (PA) 'I'm very proud of her, she's run her heart out again and just been beaten by a very good horse,' said Balding. 'She's done nothing wrong, had every chance, just bumped into a quick one on the day. 'It would have probably helped our cause if a bit more rain had got into the ground, but we can't complain.' For Juddmonte it was once again Graffard who proved their nemesis after Goliath denied Bluestocking 12 months ago. Ralph Beckett's filly would of course claim the Prix Vermeille and then the Arc, and hopes are high Kalpana could do the same. THE FRENCH RAIDER HAS DONE IT! 🇫🇷 CALANDAGAN WINS THE KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH STAKES! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 26, 2025 Her route to the Arc could see her follow Bluestocking and head to ParisLongchamp for an early sighter in the Vermeille. But Balding could instead use another route successfully used by a Juddmonte star in the past – and search for back-to-back victories in Kempton's September Stakes, a race Enable won before downing Sea Of Class in the French capital in 2018. 'She's a class act and she's tightened up again since her two runs and come forward again, we're excited about the autumn,' added Balding. 'I would have thought that was a career-best effort and we'll be working back from Paris in October. 'She's in the Yorkshire Oaks, but she's had a hard race today and we'll work back from the Arc. Trainer Andrew Balding could have an Arc contender on his hands (Nigel French for The Jockey Club/PA) 'We could head to the Vermeille, but she hasn't won a race yet this year so could go to the September Stakes without a penalty which might be an easier 'in'. 'It is likely to be one or the other and there's an extra week this year from the Vermeille to the Arc so anything is possible. 'The Kempton race she won last year and is on our doorstep and you are guaranteed the surface. But the Vermeille could be a good shot at a Group One, so we'll see.' Also given an international objective, albeit further afield, is Charlie Appleby's stable stalwart Rebel's Romance who was a luckless third in his quest to follow up Hardwicke Stakes success at Royal Ascot. Rebel's Romance could only finish third (David Davies/PA) Short of room at a vital stage, William Buick was forced to sit and suffer, as he repeated last year's placed effort in the race. Appleby said: 'He ran a solid race. It was a tactical race in a small field and no one would have expected the leader to be who it was (Jan Brueghel). It was very slow fractions in the first half a mile. 'We were in that pocket and with a horse that we know gallops we would have liked to have got out and got rolling. The rain earlier was nothing and that didn't settle the dust. 'He will go on his travels again now and we will point him towards the Canadian International.'
