Godolphin first and third in Prix La Force

Graphite won the G3 Prix La Force over nine furlongs on turf at Chantilly, France, on Sunday, April 9 after a trouble-free run, while Franz Schubert, who flew home in third, was slow into stride and received a bump at a crucial stage.
 
Both three-year-olds are trained by Andre Fabre and were making their seasonal debuts in this Classic trial.
 
Shamardal colt Graphite, partnered by Pierre-Charles Boudot, broke well and was settled fifth of the 11 runners on the inside.
 
He moved up in the straight to go third with two furlongs remaining and ran on to take the lead at the distance.
 
Graphite held on well in the closing stages, beating Phelps Win by a neck, with a head back to the Mickael Barzalona-ridden Franz Schubert. The winning time was 1m 48.27s on good turf.
 
A slow start did not help Franz Schubert but he soon recovered to race third last towards the outside.
 
The Dansili colt was bumped as the runners straightened up, which checked him, but he came with a strong run on the outside only for the post to arrive too soon.
 
Lisa-Jane Graffard of Godolphin commented: “We were delighted with Graphite’s victory. He is a tough horse who quickened well and he will stay further.
 
“Graphite has a promising future and can now go up to 10 furlongs.
 
“Franz Schubert has run well and he stayed on nicely. We will see how both horses come out of the race before deciding where to run them next.”