Mountain High foils Mandesha's bid against males

Mountain High brought Mandesha's four-race winning streak to an end on Sunday with a convincing victory over the European champion filly in the Group 1, $538,640 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in France.

Never before the winner of anything better than a listed race, the 5-year-old Mountain High had been third last time in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly as well as second in last year's Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes to Saturday's repeat winner Maraahel. Ridden by Kieren Fallon, Mountain High prompted the pace before taking over entering the stretch, holding three-time Group 1 winner Mandesha safe by 1 1/2 lengths in her first try against males.

Prince Flori was third, a half-length behind the filly. The time for the 1 1/2 miles on good to soft ground was 2:29.70.

Sent off at 12-1, Mountain High was the fifth group race winner of the week for his majority owner Susan Magnier, who had been successful at Royal Ascot with Excellent Art, Henrythenavigator, Yeats and Mahler. But whereas that quartet is trained by Aidan O'Brien, Mountain High is based in England with Michael Stoute, who did not even bother to show up at Saint-Cloud. As the Magnier/O'Brien camp is already considering Dylan Thomas, Scorpion, and Septimus for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 28, Stoute's asistant, Coral Pritchard-Gordon, would not name a next outing for Mountain High.

Alain de Royer-Dupre, however, hinted that Mandesha could return to competition againsts fillies and mares in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood on Aug. 4.