Lunella Leman stuns Vincennes in Critérium des 5 ans as three Group 1 classics produce three upsets

Benoit Robin produced the ride of the afternoon at Vincennes on Saturday when Lunella Leman sprang an 18/1 surprise in the Critérium des 5 ans, the headline event on a day that saw all three Group 1 finals go the way of horses outside the market leaders.

Robin, who trains and drives the five-year-old mare by Boccador de Simm, scored in 3'21"55 (1'10"7kr) over the 2850-metre grande piste, defeating Lord Du Bassin (Alexandre Abrivard/L.Cl. Abrivard) and L'as Desbois (Aurélien Collette/William Bigeon) in a result that stunned the Parisian crowd. The victory marked Robin's second win in the race, four years after he landed the same prize with Hussard du Landret. "On a une sacrée jument, on va savourer," Robin said afterwards.

The disappointment of the race was Lancier Du Goutier, the 3/1 favourite trained by Thierry Duvaldestin and driven by his son Théo, who trailed home last of the fifteen runners after never figuring in contention.

The Critérium des 3 ans went the way of another Duvaldestin runner, but this time it was Clément who delivered. Naya d'Eronville, trained by Thierry and driven by the younger Duvaldestin, crossed the line in 3'15"2 (1'12"3kr) over 2700 metres, beating the favourite Nocive du Choquel (Félicien Lagadeuc/Nathalie Bridault) with Nobel du Rib (Nathalie Perron/Jean Hallais) third. The filly was registering her fifth win from her last six starts.

Nocive du Choquel, who had been chasing a clean sweep of the three-year-old Group races after winning her two previous qualifiers, had to settle for second under Lagadeuc. The margin between the front pair was just a neck, with Nobel du Rib, a son of Face Time Bourbon, a further short neck away in third.

The afternoon's most dramatic chapter came in the Critérium des 4 ans — Prix Conquérant, where the 2.9/1 favourite Mack de Blary was one of five horses disqualified. Théo Duvaldestin's mount, who won last year's three-year-old edition and was attempting the rare double, saw his challenge ended by a galloping error. The race also saw Milton du Noyer, the other Duvaldestin-trained runner, disqualified.

In their absence, Moustik la Gouvelle, trained and driven by David Bonne, powered home at 15/1 in 3'24"2 (1'11"7kr), the fastest kilometre time of the three finals. Maître Jacques (Alexandre Abrivard/L.Cl. Abrivard) and Magic Night (Benoît Rochard/Philippe Allaire) completed the placings at 19/1 and 33/1 respectively.

Moustik la Gouvelle, who had been inconsistent in Group company throughout his career, finally put it together on the biggest stage. The four-year-old, whose previous best had been a placed effort in a Group 2 at Vincennes in August, added €135,000 to his career earnings of €312,910.

The Critérium weekend, which carries a combined purse of €900,000 across the three finals, once again demonstrated the depth of French breeding. Each winner received €135,000 for their connections, with the placed horses sharing the remainder.

For the Duvaldestin stable, the day ended with one Group 1 winner and a frustrating disqualification of their star four-year-old, a mixed bag that underlines the unpredictability of the Critérium format.