Meandre upsets the fillies at Saint-Cloud

The Rothschild Family's Meandre had promised much when annexing last year's

Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris but, after a subsequent slump, turned his fortunes

around in convincing style when causing an upset in Sunday's Group 1 Grand Prix

de Saint-Cloud.

Sent off the outsider -- and only male -- of the quartet remaining after

Cirrus des Aigles was withdrawn, the 6-1 shot tracked the steadily increasing

pace carved out by Shareta before being set alight by Maxime Guyon passing the

quarter-pole and surging to a 1 1/4-length success.

Galikova could do no better than third in her comeback, while Group 1 Prix de

l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Danedream was last.

"This horse is at his best during the summer and he needed his first two runs

to reach his top level," commented trainer Andre Fabre, who is now just one

short of the record of eight wins in this prize set by Francois Mathet. "He will

not run in the (Group 1) King George (and Queen Elizabeth at Ascot July 21), but

we might take him to Berlin for the Deutschland-Preis (Group 1 at Hoppegarten

July 22)."

Settled in third early as Shareta was left to cut out the pace, Meandre

always traveled comfortably and entered the home straight ready to tackle the

Aga Khan's runner along with Danedream. While that 9-10 favorite flattered to

deceive near the rail, it was Meandre who cut loose with real purpose from 1 1/2

furlongs down. Danedream eventually lost third to the returning Galikova, who

never looked a danger under a patient ride from Olivier Peslier.

Danedream's trainer Peter Schiergen was at a loss to explain her flop.

"I don't know what happened," he said. "She traveled well and then suddenly

was finished, so we'll have to see how she is."

Shareta's conditioner Alain de Royer-Dupre said of the runner-up, "She ran

her race and we have no excuses. She could run in the Prix Vermeille (Group 1 at

Longchamp September 16), but we will also consider the King George VI and Queen

Elizabeth Stakes in the interim."

Meandre's four runs at two yielded a single placing and it took another three

starts to get off the mark last term, but the gray quickly ascended through the

ranks and two runs later was the impressive winner of the Grand Prix de Paris on

Longchamp's Bastille Day card. Runner-up to Reliable Man in the Group 2 Prix

Niel back there in September, he closed off his three-year-old campaign with a

fair sixth in the Arc and returned to be fourth in the Group 2 Jockey Club

Stakes over this trip at Newmarket May 5. He then disappointed when a

well-beaten second as the odds-on favorite for Longchamp's Group 3 La Coupe over

10 furlongs last time June 11.

Trainer Corine Barande-Barbe gave an update on Cirrus des Aigles, who had to

be scratched after suffering a late setback. The triple Group 1 winner was set

to warm up for a tilt at the King George in Sunday's contest and his conditioner

is still hopeful he will make that Ascot engagement.

"He is just a little bit lame," Barande-Barbe told PA Sport. "It is not

serious. He just has a bit of an infection on his ankle and it impossible to run

him in these conditions as it would hurt him, so we have to stay at home. We'll

just have to see how he is this week. This happens to horses all the time."

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