Palace Pier followed in the steps of Spinning World and Miesque to become the third horse to win successive renewals of the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville.
John and Thady Gosden's colt was made to work hard by Poetic Flare but always looked to be holding the upper hand in the centre of the track.
Frankie Dettori was content to bide his time and only had one behind him with three furlongs to run but he moved smoothly past Victor Ludorum to challenge eventual third Order of Australia and Poetic Flare for the lead.
Poetic Flare had the rail to help and ran all the way to the line but never looked like reeling in the 5/6 favourite despite being just a neck adrift at the post with the pair finishing a length and three quarters clear.
The raiders have dominated this Group One prize lately and have now won it seven times in the last nine years; this was Gosden's third success, with Palace Pier's sire Kingman having scored in 2014, and Dettori's sixth, drawing him alongside Freddy Head as the most successful jockeys in the race.
💫 Palace Pier goes back-to-back in the Prix Jacques le Marois!
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) August 15, 2021
👏 A fifth Group 1 for the son of Kingman as he gets the better of the tough and talented Poetic Flare at Deauville!pic.twitter.com/us4dxbzw7u
Palace Pier has been the standout miler of the last two seasons but had to miss the Sussex Stakes with a blood disorder and Gosden senior revealed that it had been a rush to get the four-year-old to the races.
“I thought it was very clean race. They went a pretty sensible pace, with Order Of Australia controlling it and he’s finished third, so it was not a race to be sitting out the back," the winning handler told Sky Sports Racing.
"We were second last and they quickened and quickened from the 600 (metre mark) so it was a bit of a test of speed.
"He's done it well. I’ve made no secret of the fact he was ill with a blood disorder and missed the Sussex and I've come here on the absolute minimum of work; he was probably 80%.
"As Frankie said, his class got him through, but he’s having a pretty strong blow. I was 10 days short for this race, but they weren’t going to move the Jacques le Marois!
"He's a gorgeous horse and a lovely horse to be around. He's got this amazing cruising speed and acceleration and I wouldn't be afraid of stepping up him to a mile and a quarter.
“I think we’ll wait for Champions Day. When you run a horse like this, don’t come back too quick, so we’ll wait for Champions Day and possibly run over a mile or even a mile and a quarter.”
Palace Pier's sole defeat to date came on Champions Day in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over a mile last autumn but Paddy Power cut him to 7/4 from 2/1 to avenge that loss.
Dettori added: "I love the horse. He's the best miler I've rode. He’s beautiful and he’s got everything – pace, a turn of foot and goes on any ground. He's a joy to be around and he's a joy to ride and full credit to the team at home.
"We were rushing to get him here today. He’s missed a bunch of work and we got him here on 80 per cent but he's just so good, he got away with it.
"I was on the tail of Mickael (Barzalona) and kept an eye on Kevin (Manning) and when he kicked I went after him.
"I basically raced on my own for the last 200 metres and passed him good, Kevin fought back but he's just so good he keeps on doing it."
Repeat Order
Kevin Manning was full of praise for Poetic Flare, saying: “He ran a very good race. The horse again gave of his best today.
“We are really over the moon with his effort.”
Aidan O’Brien already has his sights set on the Breeders’ Cup for Order Of Australia, but a return trip to France next month is also a possibility.
He said: “I think the mile is a perfect trip for him, even on a straight course. He might even be able to go longer but he has a high cruising speed.
“His end-of-year objective is the Breeders’ Cup Mile in the US, which he won last year.
“We’ll see how he recovers from the race before deciding where he goes next, but the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at Paris-Longchamp in September, for example, isn’t to be excluded.
“I’m very happy with his performance.”
