Brilliant Lellouche filly has Arc target

Galileo was not the only Classic winner to turn in a spectacular performance at the weekend, when Point Given in the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the American Triple Crown, and Aquarelliste in the Prix de Diane won in the manner of outstanding horses.

Aquarelliste's success in the Chantilly equivalent of the Oaks was a bitterly ironic one for France's leading trainer, André Fabre. He had entered the filly for the race when she was in his care but she was then one of 42 horses removed from his stable last month by her owner, Daniel Wildenstein.

Yesterday Fabre's Spring Oak finished fourth as Aquarelliste maintained her unbeaten record with a sweeping late challenge to get the better of Frankie Dettori's mount, Nadia, by one and a half lengths. The John Dunlop-trained Time Away, who had beaten Relish The Thought and Flight Of Fancy in York's Musidora Stakes, could finish only third for Pat Eddery, beaten a further three-quarters of a length. The other British challenger, the Mick Channon-trained Arhaaff finished seventh of 12 starters.

Now trained by Elie Lellouche, the style of Aquarelliste's victory, in which the 1.8-1 favourite came from last to first under Dominique Boeuf, prompted the owner's son, Alec Wildenstein, to say: "Aquarelliste could be another Allez France, who won the 1974 Arc among many other races for us.

"This filly is not fully mature yet but she has very powerful back-quarters. Her targets are now likely to be the Prix de la Nonette followed by the Prix Vermeille and then if all goes well the Arc."

Eddery had Time Away prominent from the start but the combination ran out of steam on the easy ground in the final furlong. "She has run a very good race," was Dunlop's immediate observation.

With Galileo unlikely to contest the Arc, one of Aquarelliste's chief rivals at Longchamp is likely to be last year's Prix de Diane winner, Egyptband, who yesterday won the Grand Prix de Chantilly, beating Geoff Wragg's St Expedit by three-quarters of a length, with John Gosden's Chiang Mai in fourth.

St Expedit, partnered by Darryl Holland, who rode the first five-timer of his career at Doncaster on Saturday, briefly looked like defeating the hot favourite Egyptband, who had finished runner-up to Sinndar in last year's Arc.

There was a bitter edge to the celebrations for Point Given's Belmont Stakes. Having already won the Preakness Stakes, the colt could have become America's first Triple Crown winner for a quarter of a century if he had not fluffed his lines inthe Kentucky Derby.

"I'm always going to be bittersweet about both victories without the Kentucky Derby," the winning rider, the former Sir Michael Stoute stable jockey, Gary Stevens, said. "But I'm not going to be greedy. I feel like he is a champion and should have Triple Crown next to his name."

The strapping colt, trained by Bob Baffert, powered clear in the straight to beat AP Valentine by 12 lengths, with the Kentucky Derby winner, Monarchos, struggling home in third.

Dr Greenfield's assault on the Belmont ended in disappointment. The Gerard Butler-trained colt, a winner twice this spring, was reluctant to enter the stalls, lost ground at the start and never threatened to challenge. He eventually trailed in last of nine.

Butler said: "We are very disappointed. That was not the true Dr Greenfield on the track today. I don't know why he acted up at the starting gate like that. From there, he just lost interest in the race." Dr Greenfield is to remain in the US with an American trainer.