Ebadiyla brightened up a chilly autumn afternoon at Longchamp yesterday. The Aga Khan's Irish Oaks winner, who paid 8.30 to a one franc stake for a win on the pari-mutuel, shot clear for a six-length victory in the Group One Prix Royal Oak over an extended mile and seven furlongs under a confident ride from Gerald Mosse.
Kieren Fallon, riding 54 to 1 shot Snow Princess, finished strongly to deprive odds-on favourite Oscar Schindler (Cash Asmussen) of second spot.
The French equivalent of the St Leger hotted up around three out when Silver Fun took the lead from a tiring Grey Shot. Then Kevin Prendergast's Oscar Schindler made a promising forward move in the straight, but Ebadiyla soon took command and went clear in a matter of strides.
Trainer John Oxx said of the winner, who will now be retired: "She was a bit rusty for the Arc after a long break but that break seems to have put her right for today."
Mosse said: "Ebadiyla is clearly a very good filly that was undoubtedly rusty in the Arc. The going here (softish) was more congenial for her than in the Arc."
Asmussen said of Oscar Schindler: "Maybe he had too hard a race in the Arc de Triomphe."
The Irish St Leger winner may be given a chance to redeem his reputation in next month's Japan Cup.
Double Eclipse finished best of the British-trained runners in fifth, with Camporese sixth, Further Flight ninth, one place ahead of Grey Shot, with Bahamian Knight last of the 11 runners.
Earlier Hever Golf Rose gave trainer Joe Naughton a shock 12.6 to 1 win in the Group Three Prix du Petit Couvert over five furlongs. Cash Asmussen surged into the lead half a furlong from home on the six-year-old mare to beat Kistena (Olivier Doleuze).
Going: Soft
Prix Royal-Oak (Gr 1) £44,893. 1m 7 1/2f
Ebadiyla, b f Sadler's Wells - Ebaziya (Aga Khan) 3-8-7 G Mosse - 1
Snow Princess (, 5-9-1 K Fallon - 2 Oscar Schindler, 5-9-4 C Asmussen - 3 Also: Silver Fun (4th), Double Eclipse (5th), Camporese (6th), Nothin' Leica Dane (7th), Stretarez (8th), Further Flight (9th), Grey Shot (10th), Bahamian Knight. 11 ran. 6l, 3/4l 11/2l, 3l, hd, 21/2l, 5l, sht hd, 15l. (J M Oxx). 3m 26.5s. Pari-Mutuel (inc 1f stake) - Win:8.30; places: 1.90, 5.70, 1.10. DF: 362.50.
