A tight finish to the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat ended in outsider Woodshauna poking his head in front to claim the Deauville prize for trainer Francis Graffard and jockey Christophe Soumillon.
The 16/1 chance battled bravely between rivals inside the final furlong and a half to ultimately edge top spot from Christopher Head’s 6/1 chance Maranoa Charlie, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Derby also-ran The Lion In Winter, supplemented into the race by connections, staying on to take third under Ryan Moore.
Charlie Appleby’s Shadow Of Light (9/4) was fourth in the hands of William Buick, while the strong-travelling Cosmic Year, last seen following home Field Of Gold in the Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh, found less than expected when asked for his effort by Colin Keane, Harry Charlton’s charge weakening to finish seventh of the nine runners.
WOODSHAUNA WINS THE PRIX JEAN PRAT! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/LV5oMMdCJ3
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 6, 2025
Graffard said on Sky Sports Racing: "He's a lovely horse and his form was strong. I decided to skip Ascot for this race, so it worked out well.
"He has a lot of speed and seven furlongs is the maximum. We will see what we do, whether we drop him back to six or stay at seven.
"It was a big step today. He's got a great attitude and is improving physically and he was given a great ride, a very good ride.
"Every time I step him up in class he's responded well."
Earlier on the same Sunday card, Beauvatier (5/2) got the better of Karl Burke’s Spycatcher and Andre Fabre-trained Tribalist (2/1 favourite) to land the Group 3 Singapore Pools Prix de Ris-Orangis, while Nighttime won the Roland de Chambure Listed Stakes under Maxime Guyon.
Nighttime, the 5/6 favourite, is trained by Christopher Head who said on Sky Sports Racing: “You have no idea how happy I am to train those Wootton Bassetts and what a stallion, what he is doing is just so impressive.
“I love this horse and I love the Wertheimers (owners), I love working with Maxime (Guyon, jockey) and this is just the beginning of a very good story.
“This horse has been so easy to train, he has been doing everything properly and he has been so professional during his races. You could ride him classically or just go in front, he can do anything.
“He’s one of our better ones and at the head of the stable. The Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère is on the table and we will do everything to make it possible to go there.”
