Ribchester back in business after Moulin win
Ribchester set himself up for a potential big-race autumn double as he bounced back to form in the Group One Qatar Prix du Moulin at Chantilly.
Following victories in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury and the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, the Richard Fahey-trained four-year-old had suffered a shock defeat in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last time, but showed his true colours as he regained the winning thread.
As Robin Of Navan took the field along through the early stages of the mile contest, James Doyle was content to race just in behind on Ribchester before pressing on for the lead entering the final quarter of a mile.
It looked as though the Godolphin-owned colt was set to have a fight on his hand as Taareef covered the move to get within striking range of the market leader, but Ribchester eventually came home a three-quarter-length winner, with Massaat back in third.
Fahey is now eyeing an audacious Group One double for Ribchester, with next months Champions Day at Ascot a stopping point on the way to a possible Breeders' Cup Mile bid.
The Musley Bank trainer said: "It is great just to get him back winning again. It was a test out there as it was horrible ground, and he is better on faster ground as his best performance was at Ascot when he broke the track record, but he keeps getting away with it.
"He doesn't blow very hard after his races and I don't feel like I have got the bottom of him yet. He is not a horse that is ever going to go clear and win by a long way, but he got the job done.
"He is getting away with it on that ground because he is that good - that is the beauty with him.
"It is always nice to get a horse that you feel privileged to train back to winning again. I would have been worried where to go if he had got beat, but he didn't let me down.
"It was a blip at Goodwood and you can blame the trainer. It wasn't just the ground that was bad that day, but all the conditions with the wind and the rain. It isn't nice running in those conditions and I don't think old Ribchester enjoyed it.
"I think it was a mistake to think we could make all the running that day in those conditions. If we could turn the clock back, I would have probably taken a lead that day.
"Ascot (Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on October 21) is the obvious place to go, but we will keep the Breeders' Cup (at Del Mar on November 4) in mind. I think that would suit him better and they can go as quick as they like out there for him."
Ribchester is 3/1 with Sky Bet for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day and 7/2 for the Breeders' Cup Mile.
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