Godolphin's unbeaten Cutlass Bay earned the first grade I win of his career when he collared Shalanaya late to win the Prix Ganay (Fr-I) by three-quarters of a length at Longchamp May 2.
It was the fifth successive win for the injury-plagued 4-year-old trained buy Andre Fabre. Cutlass Bay is expected to be one of Europe's top middle-distance horses this year, and his performance in the Prix Ganay indicated he is headed in the right direction.
With Maxime Guyon aboard, the 6-5 favorite rated in fourth early in the 2,100-meter race (about 1 5/16 miles). He responded heading into the straight to gamely run down Shalanaya. The final time was 2:11.80 over a turf course rated "good."
There was a stewards' inquiry after it appeared that the Cutlass Bay was leaning on Shalanaya, but the judges determined that the incident did not prevent Shalanaya from winning the race. Shalanaya's rider, Christophe Lemaire, lost in his whip in the process.
This was the first start for 2009 Prix de l'Opera (Fr-I) winner Shalanaya since the Aga Khan's 4-year-old filly was fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup (Jpn-I) in November at Kyoto Racecourse.
After winning the Prix Greffuhle (Fr-II) last year, Cutlass Bay went to the sidelines with a hairline fracture of a cannon bone. The son of Halling, bred in the United Arab Emirates by Darley, returned this season to win the Prix d'Harcourt (Fr-II) at Longchamp on April 11.
Fabre has not decided on the next step for Cutlass Bay.
