Jean-Claude Rouget’s Arrow Eagle put behind disappointment in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe to win the 1m 7½f Prix Royal-Oak at Saint-Cloud.
The four-year-old son of Gleneagles has recorded a stellar season with four victories in six starts including the Group Three Prix d'Hedouville in May and Group Two Grand Prix de Chantilly in June.
However, he could not continue the fine form but finished a respectable sixth in the big race after sitting last and securing a run using the cut-away rail, three weeks ago. Jean-Claude Rouget believed the step up in trip would suit Arrow Eagle and had targeted this race.
In a small, but select field of seven, jockey Cristian Demuro settled his mount in midfield, in a share of fourth alongside Sevenna's Knight as Queenstown led the way, with that pair looking for a big-race Group One treble for the partnership of Christophe Soumillon and Aidan O'Brien.
Turning for home, the winner was pushed along from 400m and raced down the centre of the track before going home too strongly defeating long-time leader Queenstown to win the final flat French Group One of the season by two lengths from Queenstown who narrowly held second by a short head over Sevenna's Knight. The win for Arrow Eagle, who is a half-brother to Ace Impact, was his first Group One victory.
Following the victory, speaking with Sky Sports Racing, Cristian Demuro said he was confident of winning saying: "I had a perfect race sat in behind Double Major. I was going really well coming off the home turn, so when I switched to the outside, he had a good turn of foot and won it very easily.
It's a real pleasure to be a part of this family, because Ace Impact is his half-brother who I won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with and this horse has now won a Group One. We discussed with Jean-Claude [Rouget] that he should be a good stayer, so we'd try this race at the end of the year.
"He's taken his time to try and find his best conditions, but now he has improved race by race."
Assistant trainer to Rouget, Jean-René Dubosc, echoed Demuro's sentiments to Equidia: "He's a top horse and today he's proven it."
Demuro now takes his winning tally to 215 for the year and looks assured to win his first Cravache d'Or to become this season's French Champion Flat Jockey. For him, this is a personal triumph: "It means a lot of things, because I come from Italy. I've won a lot of Classics and now to win the Cravache d'Or means a lot because I've missed this from my roll of honour, so now it's complete and I have everything."
