G1 Vermeille success for Kitesurf

Kitesurf came from last to first to win a dramatic renewal of the G1 Prix Vermeille for fillies and mares over a mile and a half at Longchamp, France, on Sunday, 16 September.

The four-year-old Dubawi filly, held up last of the eight runners by Mikael Barzalona, did not begin to make any significant progress until being switched outside with a quarter-mile remaining.

The Andre-Fabre-trained Kitesurf really started to motor in the last furlong and got up in the final strides to beat Magic Wand by a head in a fast 2m 26.39s on good ground, with the third Zarkamiya two and a half lengths back

Lisa-Jane Graffard of Godolphin was delighted at the outcome. She commented: “This is a fantastic result for Kitesurf.

“It was a well-deserved win and we always suspected that she was capable of being victorious in a G1.

“For fillies like her, it is mission accomplished to win a G1.

“We will see how she comes out of this race, but the Arc (G1, 12f, Longchamp, 7 October), the Breeders’ Cup (Churchill Downs, USA, 2 & 3 November) and British Champions Day at Ascot (20 October) are all possible targets.”

Kitesurf’s sire Dubawi was responsible for the G1 Prix Vermeille winner for the third successive year, following on from Bateel (2017) and Left Hand (2016).