Deauville: Verry Elleegant’s coach Francis Graffard says he received’t surrender on the Melbourne Cup heroine regardless of a disappointing European debut, the place she completed final of seven runners at Deauville, a French seaside resort city in Normandy.

The Melbourne Cup winner – who began as a $3.40 favorite – jumped final, settled final and completed final within the €250,000 Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet, threatening just for a short second on the 600-metre mark when requested by jockey Frankie Dettori, in an underwhelming begin to her new life in Graffard’s Chantilly stables.

Winner Aristia, educated by Richard Hannon, was left as the only British-trained runner after Sir Michael Stoute’s Ville De Grace was withdrawn in the beginning after failing to enter the stalls. The four-year-old filly ($5.20) constructed on a powerful run at Wonderful Goodwood final begin, when she was second within the Nassau Stakes, and led from the outset beneath Sean Levey to carry off Rosscarbery for the win over 2000 metres.

Graffard, who had lauded the seven-year-old mare’s enchancment in latest weeks to her outstanding Australian homeowners together with Brae Sokolski and Ozzie Kheir, stated whereas the outcome was “clearly not good”, he was nonetheless “more than happy” along with her run.

“The observe right here is hard immediately, you needed to be a frontrunner on this observe… no horses had been making a run,” he informed The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age after the race.

“Frankie stated she was a bit rusty within the early elements of the race, however she ran on rather well and, for me as a coaching perspective, I believe she did an excellent comeback, contemplating the observe and her place within the race.”

Having ditched her crimson and blue colors in favour of the Jomara Bloodstock inexperienced silks made well-known by Humidor, twice positioned in a Cox Plate behind champion mare Winx in 2017 and 2018, Verry Elleegant was by no means urged early and Dettori allowed the seven-year-old to seek out her toes on the formally rated good observe.

“I used to be not anticipating her to be so off the tempo within the early elements of the race,” Graffard stated. “However as Frankie stated she was just a little bit rusty. She appears okay, we’ll see how she recovers however there are positives to be taken I believe.”

The 11-time group one winner, who handed Sydney coach Chris Waller his first Melbourne Cup final November, had missed her earlier project when connections deemed she wasn’t fairly prepared for her first begin.