Puchkine's triumph at Deauville

Puchkine, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, pulled off a surprising victory in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville. 

The Starspangledbanner colt stayed close to the pacemaker for the first four furlongs, while the rest of the field lagged behind.

After taking the lead with three furlongs to go, the only competition Puchkine faced was from Kathmandu, the French 1000 Guineas runner-up trained by Brian Meehan.

Despite a late challenge from Havana Cigar, another horse from Rouget's stable, Puchkine held on for the win. The British raider, Kathmandu, finished fifth, while the half-brother of Frankel, Kikkuli, finished sixth. 

Devil's Point and Romantic Style were far behind in the race. Puchkine had to be added to the race at the last minute. Rouget, currently on a break due to lymphoma treatment, was thanked by Nicolas de Watrigant, the racing manager for the owner-breeder Alain Jathiere, for his work with the horse. Watrigant revealed that Puchkine will likely compete in the Maurice de Gheest next.