A sensational Sunday for Mehmas showcased not only his brilliance as a sire of 2yos but also the durability of some of his older performers.
Already the sire of a Group 1-winning 2yo this year in Scorthy Champ, Mehmas added yet another to his record on the Arc undercard thanks to the brave success of Vertical Blue in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac. Exactly looked to have stolen a march halfway up the straight but Vertical Blue, with the favourite Zarigana in attendance, went into overdrive under Alexis Pouchin to run down the leader and ultimately hold off Zarigana by a nose.
The sixth Group 1 winner for Mehmas, her win came not long before 6yo Power Under Me landed the Listed Concorde Stakes at Tipperary.
Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for Gemini Stud and Argella Racing, Vertical Blue was winning for the second time and has yet to finish out of the first two in five starts.
"There was nothing in it at the line and Mickael thought he had got up, but Alexis said his filly kept finding more and he was confident she would keep on all the way to the line," said Francis-Henri Graffard. "There's a lot of emotion because I felt a lot of pressure with the Aga Khan's filly, with so much expectation surrounding her. I still think she is exceptional, but Vertical Blue has experience and is improving all the time. The ground was fine for her and there was nothing in it at the line."
"It's exceptional, [to beat] Zarigana and the others, when we had no pretensions to win this race," said co-owner Benjamin Teboul. "Alexis has ridden a dream race and Francis Graffard has produced exceptional work to have her at the top today. We won the Vermeille here a few years ago with Sweet Lady and to have a second Group 1 winner here, especially on Arc day, is unbelievable."
Vertical Lady was bred by Haras du Mont di Mont out of Krunch, a winning Sea The Stars relation to Group 3 winner San Sicharia.
As for Power Under Me, he was winning for the seventh time for Ger Lyons when striking in the Concorde Stakes at Tipperary.
"He owes us nothing and has been a great servant," said Shane Lyons. "He is a stalwart and to rock up and have a Listed and a Group 3 every year is brilliant."
Power Under Me was bred by Barbel Reiss out of Oonagh, a winning Arakan half-sister to Listed scorer Majestic Myles.
The pair contribute to an outstanding run for Mehmas; in the past month alone, Scorthy Champ has won the Group 1 National Stakes, Aesterius has the won the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes, The Waco Kid and Diego Ventura ran first and second in the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes and La Bellota has run second in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes.
Not only that, the ever reliable Believing also ran third in Sunday's Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp.
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