Classic aspirants fluff lines in France

The Newmarket crowd bask in the sunshine during the 2015 Guineas meeting. Image copyright of Racingfotos.com

Three possible QIPCO 2000 Guineas runners – Ribchester, Vedevani and Moon Trouble – were upstaged in the Prix Djebel at Maisons-Laffitte today.

The Group 3 event has often provided significant clues for the Newmarket Classic, the first race of the QIPCO British Champions Series this year on April 30.

Makfi won it in 2010 before winning at Newmarket and two years later French Fifteen took the spoils en route to finishing second to Camelot at Headquarters.

However, this year’s renewal – a messy affair devoid of pace and run on heavy going – did not go to script.

The Richard Fahey-trained Ribchester did best of the trio entered in the Guineas, chasing home the unconsidered Cheikeljack, but he hung violently left under James Doyle and was demoted to fifth for badly hampering Vedevani, the favourite, who was eased and finished fourth.

"I was happy enough with the run, the horse is still a big baby,” Fahey said “It’s a race you’d love to go down and do all again.”

Doyle, who received a two-day ban, said: "He did it [hang] as a two-year-old and he has done it again today. It is quite frustrating because I thought we would pick them up."