ORFEVRE IN PARIS
Couldn't sleep, so decided to stay up and watch Orfevre's challenge for capturing L'Arc honours in Paris. In the days leading up to the race, there was already a lot of excitement, with certain top horses being withdrawn for various reasons, and Frankie Dettori getting a ride on Camelot - the horse that has bagged the most money in England so far this year, and probably the nag my wager would have gone on had I been asked to place just one bet. Although jockey Christophe Soumillon declared himself "delighted" with Orfevre's condition, a spell of heavy rain and an unfortunate gate allocation added to the drama, even before the horses came under starter's orders.

In the race itself, Orfevre was using a pacemaker nicely, staying out of trouble on the outside at the tail-end of the pack, and blasted away down the lengthy final straight with authority. With two furlongs to go, it looked like it was all over, but Solemia came from nowhere to pip the Sunday Thoroughbred Club horse at the post. Such was the difference in speeds in the last few metres, it was almost as if Soumillon thought he had the race tied up and stopped trying, or maybe the softer ground simply took its toll after a long, hard sprint? For sure, I'd have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the debriefing room! But the bottom line is, once again, the French classic has managed to defy the Japanese contingent...