Torrestrella Wins Poule d'Essai des Pouliches

Irish-bred Torrestrella, supplemented by trainer Francois Rohaut to Sunday's Gainsborough Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Fr-I) at Longchamp, paid off handsomely with a 1 1/2-length win in the 3-year-old filly Classic.

Olivier Peslier's first Pouliches victory came as Torrestrella bounded away from favored Grey Lilas, ridden by Gary Stevens, in the final quarter-mile at odds of 10-1. Miss Mambo finished two lengths behind in third, a neck better than Via Milano, in the one-mile event.

A quick pace by Godolphin's Carry on Katie allowed Torrestrella, a bay filly by Orpen, to equal the stakes record of 1:35.7 on good to soft going.

"We had a good lead in the race and perfect ground," Rohaut told The Racing Post. "In fact, we had a dream of a race and we knew she'd stay. I didn't enter herin the Pouliches early on as she was backward as two-year-old but I knew there was plenty of speed on her dam's side and she was starting to show it.

Stevens said he was in position to challenge a furlong from home.

"I did think at one time we would win," said Stevens, who guided Rock Hard Ten to a second-place finish in the Preakness (gr. I) Saturday. "Let's hope that there's more cut in the ground when she next runs."

Nyramba (5th), Cairns (6th) , Dalna (7th), Cattiva Generosa (8th), Carry on Katie (9th), Rumba Loca (10th), Tulipe Royale (11th), Grandes Illusions (12th) and Royal Tigress (13th) followed.