Vision d'Etat cruises in Prix Ganay

Vision d'Etat returned to winning ways with a comfortable victory in the $394,000 Prix Ganay at Longchamp on Sunday. Last year's French Derby winner, he scored by three-quarters of a length over Loup Breton, covering the 1 5/16 miles under Ioritz Mendizabal in 2:09.43 on good ground as the 7-5 favorite.

A 4-year-old son of of 1 1/4-mile Grand Prix de Paris winner Chichicastenango, Vision d'Etat was making up for a third-place finish in his seasonal debut in the Group 3 Prix d'Harcourt. The 2007 German Derby winner, Adlerflug, was a fast-closing third, a short head behind Loup Breton. Thewayyourare, making his first start for Aidan O'Brien, was only fourth Sunday in his first start in nearly 11 months.

Trainer Eric Libaud will now send Vision d'Etat out of France for the first time for the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 17.

In Ireland, Yeats flopped in his seasonal debut, finishing a dull sixth in the listed 1 5/8-mile Vintage Crop Stakes, 32 lengths behind the victorious Alandi. Yeats had won this race in each of the last two years on his way to winning the Ascot Gold Cup, to which trainer Aidan O'Brien is still pointing him in an effort to win the great stayers race for the fourth time in a row.