Prix Jean Prat report and reaction: Good Guess springs surprise with easy win

The Andrew Balding-trained Chaldean was clear at the top of the market having won the QIPCO 2000 Guineas at Newmarket before finishing second to Saturday's Coral-Eclipse hero Paddington in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, but he never looked particularly happy throughout the seven-furlong contest at Deauville.

Chaldean was brightly enough away from the starting stalls on this drop back in trip but he had to settle for second spot behind Sauterne through the early stages and didn't pick up when asked for his effort by Oisin Murphy with a couple of furlongs to travel.

Sauterne, who had raced down the centre of the track, hung to his right and edged further towards the middle of the wide course as Stephane Pasquier produced Good Guess with a challenge, bursting to the front of the group that raced more towards the stands' side and picking up the running with a furlong to go.

Sauterne (20/1) held on to take second despite looking a far from straightforward ride for Tony Piccone, while 8/1 chance Breizh Sky came through for third but was well held by the Fabrice Chappet-trained winner, who was sent off an unconsidered 40/1 chance.

Aidan O'Brien's filly Meditate - last seen finishing fourth in the Coronation Stakes - was another overseas raider who failed to figure, along with Kevin Ryan's Hi Royal and Richard Hannon's Shouldvebeenaring. The Karl Burke-trained Indestructible, the Craven winner, finished best of the British and Irish in fourth at 25/1.

Paddy Power reacted by cutting Paddington to 8/11 from evens for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, a race for which Chaldean also holds an entry.

Good Guess’ success was far from a shock for Pasquier, who was winning the Group 1 event for the first time.

“It wasn’t really a surprise,” he told Sky Sports Racing. “This horse is still immature physically. When he won here in the Prix Djebel he was fantastic and then he still needed to mature and grow up.

“Today the pace was fast enough for me, it is a fantastic victory against fantastic horses.

“I always wanted to ride him close to the pace, but he was slow from the gates. Today was a race where we go straight so I had plenty of time to choose my place and that helped me a lot.”

Pasquier also believes the winner, only sixth in the French Guineas earlier in the year, will prove versatile in terms of distance as the season progresses as he expressed his delight at returning to the big-race winner’s enclosure.

He added: “He can do less and can do more, he is fantastic and can do everything.

“This race is always won by the English and I’m happy to still be riding good horses and doing my job. At my age it is not easy in France and I’m very happy. I’m riding with passion."

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