Superstar Alpha Centauri slams rivals in Prix Jacques le Marois demolition job
The brilliant filly pulled away for a resounding success in the Group 1 contest
ALPHA CENTAURI proved once and for all that she is Europe's star miler in the Group 1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois on Sunday.
Jessica Harrington's three-year-old made mincemeat of a field of top class horses in Deauville's pinnacle event.
After a procession in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot and an easy victory in the Falmouth, the daughter of Mastercraftsman flew across the channel as hot favourite for the prestigious contest.
And in a display of pure class, she never looked in any danger, taking the race up with two furlongs to go and forging clear in style.
Recoletos gave game chase in second but was always fighting a losing battle, while With You stuck on grimly for third.
The victory was Alpha Centauri's third Group 1 of the year, and marked her out as the one to beat over a mile for the rest of the season.
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The performance took her prize-money tally to nearly e2million.
Harrington said: “I guess we took a chance running her against the older colts but as she has won her races easily it was worth a shot.”
“She is a once-in-a-lifetime filly for me to train.
“I will never be so lucky to get another one like her so I am enjoying her while I can. She is amazing.”
Harrington has conquered Ireland, England and now France with her flying filly.
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Now she could to do the same to America as the Breeders Cup at Churchill Downs is likely to be next on the list. The big high street layers all cut her to just 2-1 for that race on November 3.
Fortunately, the travelling is unlikely to pose a problem for laid-back Alpha Centauri.
Harrington said: “To be honest she worries me sometimes before a race as she is just so relaxed.
“I think to myself, ‘God, is she going to wake up?’”
Thankfully she certainly does when she gets racing, with Harrington smiling: “When she gets to the front she just keeps going.”
As a three-year-old filly, Alpha Centauri was getting age and sex allowances from most of the line-up but the emphatic manner in which she won suggested she could have carried a lot more weight and still won comfortably.
Experts have her on a rating of 124 after the win, 1lb behind 2014 winner Kingman and 1lb ahead of 2016 hero Ribchester.
The only shame for racing fans is she is unlikely to ever race against Aussie superstar Winx - who is currently rated the best in the world at 130.
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Earlier on the card, David Lanigan struck in the Group 3 Prix Minerve with top filly Worth Waiting.
The victory was her fourth on the trot, and afterwards the trainer was delighted.
He said: "We always thought she was a black-type filly and she didn't come into her coat early enough this year to run in the Oaks.
"We went the sensible route and she's repaying us now. This race just lined up perfectly for her."