Double Major strikes for the second year in a row in Prix Royal-Oak, with Trueshan back in third place

Everyone who saw it Double major If he were to virtually cross the line in the Prix du Cadran, he might have wondered whether he could bounce back just three weeks later, which is why Christophe Ferland and his team deserve a lot of credit for getting him into top form to win his title in the Prix Royal. -Oak.

This wasn’t a penalty either, as he was up against Cadran, runner-up Trueshan, and the stylish Sevenna’s Knight, who finished a fine fifth behind Bluestocking in the Arc.

Ferland was quick to pay tribute to Maxime Guyon, both for accepting defeat at Longchamp and for his wise advice on how Double Major would emerge from such a test.

“Of course there was a slight concern that the Cadran might have left its mark, but I spoke to Maxime a lot and he was not hard on the horse when he felt his chance was lost that day,” said Ferland.

“He knows the horse and felt it wasn’t working so he groomed him with the intention of running again in three weeks. That’s great teamwork and it all worked out.”

Ferland said he struggled to regain fitness at Double Major early this year after returning from Alain and Gerard Wertheimer’s Haras de Saint-Leonard, and said he would remain in Chantilly for the winter with the intention of rebuilding into a crack in the Dubai Gold Cup in early April.

His 2025 program will aim to stay at around three kilometers, with the Cadran showing that Double Major does not like extreme distances.

Ferland said: “(The Cadran winner) Kyprios is clearly a very good horse. He gallops his rivals into the ground and breaks their hearts. It is no coincidence that he has won so many Group 1 horses.

“We’ll probably see him at some stage next year, but over 3,000 meters (one mile seven furlongs) it could be a slightly different proposition than in a Gold Cup or a Cadran, neither of which will be at the Double Major’s planning for next year.

“Now he is in great shape, we will keep him in the garden and he can manage the babies and his little brother, and we will prepare for Dubai, I think.”

After his fine performance in the Arc, Sevenna’s Knight gave it his all in second place, narrowly gaining the upper hand over the evergreen Trueshan, ridden by Hollie Doyle.

Doyle said: “He’s never raced back-to-back in France before. Unfortunately he hasn’t won a Group 1 this year, but he’s been so consistent, maybe the most consistent he’s ever been in his career. Second in the Cadran, and a few weeks before (he was) second in the Doncaster Cup, and he ran well on fast ground at Goodwood.

“He still enjoys his racing and he always pulls well, which is what you want from an old boy.”

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