A round-up of the pick of the action from the undercard on a busy day of Group 1 action at Saint-Cloud.
She's been my lighthouse in a shipwreck of a year
Sparks Fly (7/2) gained a fourth course success in the Group 3 Prix Perth.
The David Loughnane-trained five-year-old mare jumped well under Laura Pearson and kept favourite Saidi El Fal company on the pace with the pair racing clear of the field.
Sparks Fly had the rail, forcing her rival to race a little wider, and went into a clear lead on straightening up.
Saidi El Fal couldn't go with her and nor could any of her rivals close from off the pace as Pearson kept Sparks Fly up to her work to run out a ready winner of the mile contest.
It was a first Group race success for Pearson who told Sky Sports Racing: "She likes France, I say we just keep coming back to here!
"I knew that horse [Saidi El Fal] was going to go on and we agreed that if it was going to do stupid fractions we'd let it go and run its flame out but she travelled alongside it nicely and is such a hardy filly and she doesn't like things coming past her; sometimes I'm more of a passenger than anything else on her.
"I think now that she settles a lot more we can probably get a mile two. I think the ground being soft is definitely something that we look for but she has competed nicely in those Group 1s on ground that wasn't actually her's so it's not the be all and end all but we prefer it.
"She deserves it, she's such a classy filly. She's been my lighthouse in a bit of a shipwreck of a year so I'm lucky to have loyal owners and trainers. I'm so grateful, all my big wins have been for this team and I can't thank them enough for sticking with me."
It's all over and good night
La Isla Mujeres and Billy Lee made all the running en route to a comfortable success in the Prix Belle de Nuit over a mile and six furlongs.
A listed winner at Galway last month, La Isla Mujeres was well supported into 6/4 favouritism on this step up to Group 3 company and produced a dominant display to record a fifth career success (from 12 starts) and a first at group level.
Trainer Paddy Twomey conceded that it was a valuable victory for the mare's paddock value and, although he had to speak to connections, it was more likely than not that La Isla Mujeres would be retired from racing.
"This year we've been careful and ran her only when there was give in the ground and I thought, on form, she was the one to beat," he said.
"She stays well and she has a good forward running style, she did the same at Galway. She was probably a little bit ring-rusty when she was second to Goodie Two Shoes, she runs in the Melbourne Cup next weekend, so she has good form. She has the ability to train on but I think she probably will go to stud."
Lee added: "She's a grand filly and she jumped well, there was no pace on but it was left to me and I just let her get into a good rhythm. I could hear one or two at it just before we turned in and I knew she stayed well so I decided to give her a squeeze and stretch them while I could."
The British and Irish raiders cut little ice in the Prix de Flore.
It appeared as though 40/1 chance Zia Agnese may have stolen the race when quickening clear passing the 400m pole but the outsider started to tread water inside the final 100m.
Strong favourite Grand Stars was closing from off the pace but only slowly whereas Ginalyah and Light The Ghost (16/1) were making significant inroads and the latter fairly flew home to hit the front in the final strides.
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