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Seven-year-old provides Champs Elysees with his fourth Group 1 winner
Having just been denied his first Group 1 in the Prix Ganay (Gr 1, 2100m) on his most recent start, Way To Paris (7 h ex Grey Way by Cozzene) made amends in the Grand Prix De Saint-Cloud (Gr 1, 2400m) on Sunday and in the process became the fourth elite-level winner for Champs Elysees (Danehill).
The Andrea Marcialis-trained entire stayed on well to the line to beat Nagano Gold (Sixties Icon) by a neck with another head back to Ziyad (Rock Of Gibraltar) in third.
Second in the Prix d'Harcourt (Gr 2, 2000m) on seasonal reappearance, Way To Paris ran out an impressive winner in the Grand Prix de Chantilly (Gr 2, 2500m) before going down by just a head to Sottsass (Siyouni) in the Prix Ganay earlier in the month.
Marcialis said the colt would now be aimed at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m).
"I have so much confidence in this horse, when he's in good form he can beat anything," said Marcialis, who was tasting Group 1 success for the first time. "He is quite particular and if he's not in form he could easily be fifth in a Listed race. Even in winning a Group 1 he saves a little for himself, like many good horses.
"He has run three times in thirty days and that's not easy. He'll have a break now and if he is still in good form come the autumn, the Arc will be the aim."
The entire was purchased for 50,000gns by the Ambition Partnership at Book 2 of the 2014 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale and he is out of Premio Lydia Tesio (Gr 2, 2000m) winner Grey Way (Cozzene) - the dam of a further five winners including dual Italian Group 1 winner Distant Way (Distant View) and Italian Group 3 scorer Cima De Phile (Singspiel).
In winning the Group 1, Way To Paris joins Trip To Paris, Billesdon Brook and Harlem, who won the Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) on two occasions, as Champs Elysees other Group 1 winners and he is the sire of 30 stakes winners in total.
Champs Elysees died of a heart attack in 2018.
Later on in the afternoon, Simeen (3 f ex Samadrisa by Oasis Dream) bounced back from her lacklustre display in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Gr 1, 1600m) earlier in the month when she landed the Prix Volterra (Listed, 1600m) and in the process handed Lope De Vega (Shamardal) with his 70th stakes winner.
The three-year-old filly pulled clear in the final stages to beat Scripturale (Makfi) by three and a half length with another short-neck back to Beaute Pour Toi (Camelot) in third.
Simeen is out of the winning Oasis Dream (Green Desert) mare Samadrisa, who is herself a half-sister to multiple Group 1-winning filly Sarafina (Refuse To Bend), who in turn produced Group 3 winners Geniale (Deep Impact) and Savarin (Deep Impact).
Samadrisa is also the dam of Sandagiyr (Dr Fong) and Sanaya (Barathea).
Lope De Vega is represented in the southern hemisphere by his son Belardo, who will have his first runners next season and he is standing at Haunui Farm in New Zealand for a fee of NZ$10,000 (plus GST) in 2020.
Lope De Vega stood at Ballylinch Stud for a fee of €100,000 in 2020.
