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Your support makes all the difference.THE FRENCH practice of coupling in the betting all the horses running for the same owner came to the rescue of followers of the favourite in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville yesterday.
As in three of the last five years the first colours to flash past the post were those of the race's sponsor, Stavros Niarchos, but they were not borne by Freddie Head on Hydro Calido as had been expected but by Cash Asmussen on Exit To Nowhere. Hydro Calido's chance had been sabotaged just as she was beginning a promising run at the two-furlong pole by the wayward route taken by Cardoun. The stewards allowed the latter to keep third place but suspended his rider, Dominque Boeuf, for four days.
That left Exit To Nowhere to follow in the muddy hoofprints of Miesque (twice), Priolo (the only one not owned by Niarchos) and Hector Protector who have all been sent out by Francois Boutin to win the Jacques le Marois since 1987. He also supplied the fourth home yesterday, Star Of Cozzene.
'Exit To Nowhere loves this heavy ground,' Asmussen said. 'I pushed the button and he went.'
The going played a part but the connections afterwards seemed to believe that a rare dose of good fortune had a greater role in the success. 'Exit To Nowhere was unlucky last year, but he has come good this time.' Alan Cooper, racing manager to Niarchos, said. 'This is a very good horse. He loves this sort of ground and it shows how unlucky he was at Royal Ascot,' was Boutin's verdict.
At Ascot, Lahib was the horse to benefit when Exit To Nowhere ran into trouble in the Queen Anne Stakes and John Dunlop's colt turned in another quality performance yesterday to be second, by far the best of the four British runners. Hazm, Lahib's pacemaker, finished last, but was only a couple of places behind Dilum (11th) - beaten by the ground according to Paul Cole - and Sikeston (12th).
Lahib, who is to be kept to straight tracks, will be aimed at the Champion Stakes, while the winner may go for the Arlington Million. That could mean a confrontation with Luca Cumani's Second Set that would provide a interesting form line with Marling and Selkirk, who remain Europe's leading milers.
Deauville's other Group races proved rather more successful for the raiding party with Cole's Great Palm leading a clean sweep for British horses in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano and Corrupt winning the Prix Gontaut-Biron on his first run for Peter Chapple-Hyam.
Great Palm, a former leading fancy for the Derby, has Leopardstown's Champion Stakes as an option while Corrupt will go wherever the ground is soft.
Cole's success did not extend to Germany where Snurge failed by a head to hold Tel Quel in the Group One Aral-Pokal. Snurge was hardly helped by the funereal gallop set by John Gosden's Mashaallah, who finished only two lengths behind the winner, but last of the six runners as the race developed into a two-furlong sprint. Richard Quinn's use of the whip on Snurge brought a pounds 105 fine.
DEAUVILLE
Saturday
2.55: (1m 2f Group 2 Prix Guillaume D'Ornano).
1. GREAT PALM (A Munro); 2. Sharpitor (J Reid); 3. Zaahi (R Hills). 8 ran. Also: Feminine Wiles (4th). nk, 2, 3. (P Cole, Whatcombe). Tote: pounds 5.40; pounds 1.60, pounds 2.60, pounds 1.40. DF: pounds 22.30. NR: Contested Bid Sunday 2.20: (1m, 2f Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron)
1. CORRUPT (L Dettori); 2. Sillery (F Head); 3. Half A Tick (C Rutter). 6 ran. Also: Perpendicular (Pat Eddery) (4th). 1, 1/2 . (P Chapple-Hyam, Manton). Tote: pounds 10.00; pounds 3.50, pounds 1.70. SF: pounds 32.40
2.50: (1m Group 1 Prix Du Haras De Fresnay-Le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois)
1. EXIT TO NOWHERE (C Asmussen); 2. Lahib (W Carson); 3. Cardoun (D Boeuf). 14 ran. Also: Dilum (A Munro) (11th), Sikeston (M Roberts) (12th), Hazm (R Hills) (14th). 1, hd. (F Boutin, France). Tote: (Coupled with Hydro Calido) pounds 3.30; pounds 3.60 pounds 4.70, 2.50. DF pounds 67.20. NR: Rodrigo De Triano.
HOPPEGARTEN
2.55: (1m 4f Group 3 BMW Europachampionat).
1. PLATINI (M Rimmer); 2. Beyton (J Lloyd); 3. Rosefinch (R Cochrane). 9 ran. Also: Jape (5th), Captain Horatius (6th). 4, hd. (B Schutz, Germany). Tote: pounds 2.70; pounds 1.40, pounds 2.60, pounds 1.80. SF: pounds 22.30.
GELSENKIRCHEN
3.45: (1m 4f Group 1 Aral-Pokal, 3yo)
1. TEL QUEL (M J Kinane); 2. Snurge (T Quinn); 3. Chesa Plana (A Best). 6 ran. Also: Mashaallah (B Raymond) (6th). hd, 3/4 . (A Fabre, France). Tote: pounds 1.20; pounds 0.46, pounds 0.19. SF: pounds 3.19.
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