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There was incredible drama at the finish of the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Group 1) on Sunday at ParisLongchamp. For several long minutes, it seemed that the British filly Shes Perfect (by Sioux Nation) had pulled off an impressive gate-to-wire victory, showing true grit… but unfortunately for her, the filly owned by the Basher Watts Racing 2 syndicate drifted significantly in the home straight, severely hampering Zarigana (by Siyouni). And since Zarigana had crossed the line just a nose behind, the stewards—tasked with judging the outcome—logically decided to revise the result: Shes Perfect was demoted behind Zarigana.

The victory of Zarigana was further enhanced for the Aga Khan family by the third-place finish of Mandanaba (by Ghaiyyath), who races in the silks of Princess Zahra Aga Khan. Both French fillies are trained in Chantilly by Francis Graffard.

With a final time of 1’34’’05, the race record (previously 1’34’’77) was broken.

Official Result

EMIRATES POULE D’ESSAI DES POULAINS
1st: ZARIGANA (M. Barzalona)
2nd: SHES PERFECT (K. Shoemark)
3rd: MANDANABA (M. Guyon)
Time: 1’34’’05 – Margins: Nose – 1 – Neck

Quotes

Francis Graffard (trainer of Zarigana, 1st, and Mandanaba, 3rd) – France

“The inquiry minutes felt long and stressful. We don’t like winning races this way, and I feel sorry for the Shes Perfect team. But this is racing... To be honest, my filly was unbalanced at the worst possible moment, and at the end, we’re only talking about a nose... I’m really happy for Zarigana. She deserved a win of this magnitude. I would have been very frustrated to lose by a nose again with her. This is very important for the team and for the breeding operation. Mandanaba ran a great race in third. It’s hard to feel outright joy—I feel more relief. Mickaël Barzalona gave Zarigana a great ride. It was essential that she be held up early.
As for what’s next, Mandanaba should step up in trip and head to the Prix de Diane. For Zarigana, we still need to talk. I’m not sure she needs to go longer. If we keep her over a mile, the Coronation Stakes at Ascot is an option.”

Charlie Fellowes (trainer of Shes Perfect, 2nd) – England

After the result was revised, the syndicate members were visibly shaken before applauding the winner on the suggestion of Basher Watts. And Charlie Fellowes said:
“We came so close. It’s heartbreaking because I really needed a big win. Winning a Classic—that’s the dream of my life.”