Persian King stayed on strong to hold off a late challenge from Pinatubo in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp on Sunday.
The victory was a record-breaking seventh win for trainer Andre Fabre in the event, and Ruby reckons the result was decided in the first furlong of the mile-long Group 1 feature.
Speaking about the race on the latest episode of Paddy Power’s From The Horse’s Mouth podcast, the 41-year-old pundit explained how a fast start left Pinatubo and jockey James Doyle with too much ground to make up on the eventual winner.
Get over to PaddyPower.com for all the latest racing odds“I thought the start was fascinating,” said Ruby.
“Circus Maximus broke really fast and so did Persian King as Pierre Charles Boudot and Ryan Moore were going forward.
“Colin Keane ended up slotting into third [on Siskin] but I don’t know if it was his plan to be as handy either. He seemed to allow Persian King and Circus Maximus to get away.
“Yes Pinatubo flashed home in the end to be second, but Persian King and Circus Maximus got away in the first quarter and they were able to sit still in the middle of the race, while the others had to use up energy to close in on them and that allowed Persian King to kick again.
“Then Pinatubo, who I thought looked more of a six-furlong horse a couple of runs back, looked like he wanted every yard of the mile and was getting up really well at the end on Sunday.
“It just didn’t work out for him in the end, but the tone was set in the first half a furlong of the contest.”
“Pinatubo should have won, decisively” – @LynchySSR breaks down a fascinating renewal of the Prix du Moulin using sectionals with @HuntyCaller… pic.twitter.com/K5KV4cGLcR
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 6, 2020
Paddy was particularly impressed with Persian King, and said: “I thought the winner was really good.
“I’d given up on Pinatubo before the race. You could say he was unlucky because he came late and fast, but the winner had gone by that stage.
“The winner was just better, and he had the race well set up. Persian King looks a really decent horse.
“I know Circus Maximus took it on and ran the finish out of Siskin, but I thought Persian King was very good and there could be more to come from him.”
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