Chichicastenango lowered Mizzen Mast's colours in the Group One Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp yesterday.
The 10-furlong race, sponsored for the first time by Mizzen Mast's owner Khaled Abdullah's Juddmonte Farms, had to be carried over from Sunday's card which fell victim to a lightning strike by the French pari-mutuel operators.
With no betting taking place, the race - once a jewel in the French calendar - was watched by little more than three Parisians and a poodle, which was a shame as it proved a fascinating clash of tactics.
With only five runners doing battle, Richard Hughes set out to make all and poached a seven or eight-length lead on Mizzen Mast turning into the straight.
But Alain Junk, a journeyman jockey for so long, was not about to let the Irishman conduct daylight robbery before his eyes and he soon got to work on Chichicastenango, who began to reduce the deficit.
As Mizzen Mast came to the end of his tether Chichicastenango deployed the speed and grit that had carried him to Group One success already this term in the Prix Lupin, overhauling the trailblazing front-runner to score by a length and a half in a record time.
Bonnard, trained by Aidan O'Brien, took third, the same distance back, with stablemate Hans Anderson four lengths away in fourth and Okawango, last year's top rated French juvenile, a disappointing last.
Trainer Philippe Demercastel, celebrating his second Group One win in a month after a barren spell at the highest level since the days of Magic Night's Prix Vermeille success in the early 90s, said: "It's good to win, even if the race is 48 hours late, but it would have been better if there had been a crowd to welcome us back!
"Chichicastenango is some horse, he's got speed and stamina. I'll put him away until September and the Prix Niel."
Criquette Head-Maarek, Mizzen Mast's handler, praised the winner, saying: "We were beaten by a better horse, but Mizzen Mast has run really well. He likes the fast ground."
Hughes added: "He ran a blinder, but is still a baby."
British racing's continued vigilance over foot-and-mouth is to be maintained by the British Horseracing Board and the Jockey Club. Indications from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are that, while foot-and-mouth is under control, the outbreak is not over and there remains a risk of flare-ups such as that suffered earlier this month around the Settle area in North Yorkshire.
Therefore, tried-and-tested measures introduced by racing's authorities are set to continue. These measures, which have been in force since racing resumed after its seven-day suspension soon after the initial outbreak, include disinfectant procedures at racecourses and involving trainers, transporters and those attending meetings.
Courses which fall within Protection Zones (within 3km of an infected site) are still unable to stage meetings, and horses trained within 1km of an infected site must not enter a racecourse.
Chepstow has been given the green light to restart its meetings. A call to officials from the BHB confirmed testing of local farms close to the track had now returned negative and racing will resume with the meeting on Thursday, July 5th, quickly followed by a card on Saturday, July 7th.
