There was no historic third success for wondermare Enable in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Sottsass clinched the Group 1 at Longchamp on Sunday after surviving a lengthy stewards’ enquiry.

Eleven runners went to post for the 1m4f prize after Aidan O’Brien’s quartet – Japan, Sovereign, Mogul and Serpentine – were ruled out of the contest late on Saturday evening due to concerns about contaminated feed.

With no recognised front-runners in the field, the Andre Fabre-trained Persian King, stepping up to a mile and a half for the first time, was allowed to dictate the gallop and the early fractions showed that the field was travelling at a modest pace.

John Gosden’s duo Enable and Stradivarius had settled prominently on the outside while jockey Cristian Demuro had Sottsass positioned in front of Enable as Persian King led the runners into the home straight.

As the false rail disappeared Sottsass was moved closer to the leader and made his challenge, followed closely by In Swoop, with Gold Trip running on strongly down the outside. Sottsass crossed the line a neck ahead of In Swoop with Persian King one and three-quarter lengths back in third, just in front of Gold Trip.

The stewards called an inquiry after the runners had crossed the line, with Sottsass and Gold Trip both causing possible interference, but after lengthy deliberations the result remained unchanged.

Rouget said: “We’ve worked all year for this. Our entire aim for 2020 was this and it’s not been easy with the changes to the calendar.”

While Sottsass had gone two places better than his third-placed finish behind Waldgeist last year, Enable could only finish sixth with Stradivarius in seventh. Ultimately it was the heavy conditions that had dented their challenges.

Teddy Grimthorpe, Racing Manager to Khalid Abdullah, told the Racing Post: “She just wasn’t able to go on the ground, really and truly. She’s had a good position, Frankie’s been happy with her but she just couldn’t pick up like we’d normally expect her to.

“We’ll see how she is when she gets back and talk to John [Gosden] and Prince Khalid and make a plan. There will be no decisions [on retirement] at this stage.”

Sottsass carries the familiar two-tone green colours of Peter Brant’s White Birch Firm and Sunday’s success adds to his wins in the top-level contests the Prix Ganay and the Prix du Jockey Club.

With Coolmore reportedly having bought into the son of Siyouni earlier this year, Rouget could not confirm future plans but added: “I don’t know what is next. The owners will discuss between them. I would like to see him make a good stallion as he’s such a good-looking horse.”

Sealiway runs away with Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere

Longchamp’s bumper Sunday card began with the Frederic Rossi-trained Sealiway relishing the heavy conditions as the two-year-old scooted clear from the Clive Cox-trained Nando Parrado to capture the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

It has been a remarkable season for Rossi, who trained his first top-level winner 20 years into his training career when Dream And Do won the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches earlier this year.

Rossi said: “Wow! I’ve always thought he was a really good horse and he ran over too short a trip to begin with. We decided to ride him more positively. He loves to dominate and you have to ride him more in the English style than the French. He doesn’t sprint, he’s a real steamroller.

“Before today he has never quite run the way he trained and I told the jockey I was pretty confident that if he could just do what he does in the mornings, the race would be over as a contest.

“We didn’t say too much because I didn’t want people to say ‘he’s not as good as they think’. But we just needed to make a few adjustments and today Mikael [Barzalona] has found the right buttons to push.”

Marcialis magic success

Jessica Marcialis crosses the line on Tiger Tanaka to win the Prix Marcel Boussac – Photo: George Selwyn

Earlier on Longchamp’s card there were wonderful scenes after Tiger Tanaka claimed the Prix Marcel Boussac as jockey Jessica Marcialis, who returned to race riding after having a child, became the first female to land a Group 1 in France.

Marcialis said: “It’s incredible. I don’t have words. Yesterday we said it was just amazing to be here today. I want to say to all the mums that we can do it. Be strong.

“Tiger Tanaka was really relaxed and it’s incredible, all the races I run with her every time she’s different.”

Double delight for Boudot

It was a good day for jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot as he recorded a Group 1 double at Longchamp.

The first of those victories came when he guided the Francis-Henri Graffard-trained Wooded to victory in the Prix de l’Abbaye. That was swiftly followed by One Master’s third successive triumph in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret.

The Aga Khan’s homebred Tarnawa got the better of Alpine Star and Audarya to win the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera for the combination of trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Christophe Soumillon.