Amusingly displayed unmistakable class as she outclassed the colts to claim the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère at Longchamp in Paris. Trainer Francis‑Henri Graffard caused a stir when he opted to move his Juddmonte‑owned filly from the Prix Marcel Boussac, a race restricted to fillies, into a mixed‑sex contest.
The gamble paid off in spectacular fashion. Colin Keane, aboard the filly, was settled towards the rear in the early stages while the odds‑on favourite, Folsome Blues, set a steady tempo. Both horses travelled smoothly, but the pace soon shifted. Joseph O'Brien’s National Stakes winner could not match the late acceleration that Amusingly produced.
The daughter of No Nay Never surged ahead in the final furlong, pulling clear in a display of power and elegance. After the race Graffard explained his thinking: "She beat the filly that finished second in the Marcel Boussac (Data) very easily, so I was hoping I hadn't made a mistake." He added that the filly's speed suggested she might be better suited to sprint‑type contests such as the Commonwealth Cup rather than a classic mile race next season. "I have no idea if she'll go to the Breeders' Cup; I need to speak to the team," he said, noting that the victory was a "big win" and that the connections would enjoy a restful winter with a promising youngster for the following year.
The Lagardère is run over seven furlongs, a full furlong shorter than the Boussac. Keane offered insight into the decision to target this race: "The choice to run here rather than the Boussac was a collective one. She had shown, over a mile, that she struggled to finish the final half‑furlong.
She is a filly with a lot of class and a lot of pace; she used a lot of energy before being eased at the finish last time, so we dropped her back to seven furlongs even though it meant taking on colts." He praised the filly's composure on the day: "She relaxed a lot better today, she wasn't as fresh and gassy and did everything right in the first half of the race. When she hit that part we thought she'd run a good race and she showed how well she can quicken." Keane admitted that the future distance for Amusingly remains open.
"Time will tell if she's a Guineas filly; she does have a lot of pace but I don't see why she won't get a mile," he concluded. In the same meeting, Joseph O'Brien added another Group One triumph with Green Empress, who edged out Data to win the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac. Green Empress has never finished outside the top two in her career and has repeatedly been bested only by the brilliant Sun Goddess, a filly who has beaten her on three occasions. Riding confidently, Christophe Soumillon sent Green Empress into the lead with half a furlong to go, only to be challenged by Christopher Head's Data, who forced a hard‑fought finish.
O'Brien commented: "It's really special for us to have a Group One winner on this day and she has been progressive – she's only ever been beaten by Sun Goddess all year. She has a superb pedigree, being by Saxon Warrior out of a Sea The Stars mare.
We see her as a miler that might go ten furlongs at some stage. We'll see how she comes out of today and discuss with the owners whether she'll go to America (Breeders' Cup) or wait for next year." The victory added to O'Brien's impressive tally of Group One successes this season. He praised the support of owners and the breadth of his stable: "We're very lucky to have the support of some great people and a wide variety of owners. For us it's about performing and executing at big meetings.
It's fantastic to have a big winner on Arc day." Jack Nicholls, continuing a family tradition, secured his first Group One win aboard the supplemented Miss Yechance in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. The 20‑year‑old rider is the grandson of David "Dandy" Nicholls, who captured the same race in 2002 on Continent, and the son of Adrian Nicholls, a former jockey turned trainer. Riding in his debut top‑level race, Nicholls found himself alongside Ryan Moore on Mission Central in the final furlong.
He timed his move perfectly, guiding Karl Burke’s filly to the line as Shiri took second place. Nicholls reflected on the emotion of the moment: "I've never had a feeling like that, there are no words to describe it.
I can't take much credit; she does everything herself and I'm just the lucky lad that gets to sit on top of her. I just try to keep her as happy as I can and she does the rest for me." He expressed gratitude to the owners and trainer for trusting him with a Group One mount: "I didn't think I would get a chance in a Group One and I'll be forever grateful to the owners and Karl for putting their trust in me and letting me ride her." Speaking about his family's sprinting heritage, Nicholls said: "The name Nicholls is only known for sprinters. My granddad was probably one of the best sprint trainers that ever lived and my dad won two Group Ones, so it would be weird if I wasn't riding in sprint races. Continent was a very special horse to the family; we had him in the field in retirement.
I would have taken any Group One, but if I could have picked one it probably would have been the Abbaye. My dad is the best dad in the world.
I went to see him the other day and he said it would be the fastest 55 seconds of my life and the weirdest as well." The win also provided a morale boost for the Burke yard, which had suffered the loss of stable star Fallen Angel the previous Saturday. Nicholls noted: "It's great for the yard as obviously they had a bad day yesterday with Fallen Angel. She might have been looking down and helped us in that last 50 yards.
It's very special."