Saint-Cloud: Polytechnicien scores in Prix Exbury

Polytechnicien proved a comfortable 2.20-1 winner of the Group 3, $111,000 Prix Exbury at Saint-Cloud on Saturday. The 5-year-old son of Royal Academy came from just off the pace to defeat the 5-2 Cirrus des Aigles by a half-length under Olivier Peslier, clocking 2:10.50 for the 1 1/4 miles on soft ground.

The Andre Fabre trainee has now won three races in a row this winter, having taken the listed, one-mile Prix Luthier on the Deauville Fibresand on Dec. 9 and a 1 1/4-mile conditions race over the same course March 4. After winning the Exbury for the eighth time, Fabre said that Polytechnicien would continue to run at or about 10 furlongs, with two races at Longchamp –
the 1 1/4-mile, Group 2 Prix d’Harcourt on April 10 and the 1 5/16-mile Prix Ganay, Europe’s initial Group 1 race of the season on April 30 – his next targets.

Fabre can take heart from Polytechnicien’s performance, as the 5-year-old had a number of accomplished stakes winners behind. Cirrus des Aigles is a two-time Group 2 winner, while the improving and lightly raced 4-year-old Silver Pond, last seen when taking the 1 3/8-mile, Group 2 Prix Hocquart on May 16, finished 1 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up, running on late to get up for third by a nose from Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly runner-up Timos.