The final G1 races of the French flat season were run at Saint Cloud overnight and Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore won two of them and one of those horses franked the form of leading Melbourne Cup contender Trustyourinstinct (IRE), who will be ridden by James McDonald next Tuesday.
The Group I Prix Royal Oak (3100m) was won by 6YO Galileo gelding Queenstown, who was backing up from a last start second in the Group I British Champions Long Distance Cup last weekend.
Queenstown has been peppering the G1 goal posts with a third in the Group I Prix du Cadran on Arc weekend following a second to Scandinavia in the Group I Irish St Leger, a race in which the Joseph O’Brien trained stayer Trustyourinstinct finished fourth.
Trustyourinstinct has not raced since the St Leger and will go into next Tuesday fresh, but his form around Europe’s best long distance stayers is fact.
The 105th G1 winner for champion sire Galileo, Queenstown scored a deserved first G1 win when racing clear to win by three-quarters of a length.
What a training performance! ?? Just over a week on from his second in the Long Distance Cup, Queenstown dominates his rivals in the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak! ?????? https://t.co/L7qbWDT7Wl
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 25, 2026
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Queenstown has three wins and nine placings from 20 starts.
He is a brother to Group III winner Rain Goddess and is the best of four winners from Where, a placed Danehill Dancer daughter of Group I Newmarket 1000 Guineas winner Virginia Waters.
The Group I Criterium de Saint Cloud (1800m) for 2YOs gave Wootton Bassett a new G1 winner when Drumbeat continued his ascent through the grades to score a two length win as favourite.
Another exciting colt for team Ballydoyle! ?? Drumbeat proves a class apart in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud! ?????? https://t.co/6H4Yl0JNKh
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 25, 2026
A slow learner that has taken a while to hit his straps, Drumbeat was a maiden winner at Gowran Park at his third start and then made sharp progress when stepped up in trip to bolt in with the Group III Zetland Stakes at Newmarket before heading across to France.
"I think he’s come forward since Newmarket," said O'Brien. "It was a classy performance today; he came up through the middle of them and you’d have to be very happy.
"He’ll be trained for the Classics. He’s not a slow horse and I’d say he’d have no problem starting in a Guineas, whether it’s an Irish, a French or an English. And then he’ll be very comfortable going up to a mile and a quarter, and maybe even further."
Purchased for 200,000 guineas at the 2024 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, Drumbeat is the best of two winners from Champion South African 2YO Filly and G1 winner Cloth of Cloud (SAfr), a half-sister by Captain Al to South African Group I winner Silver Mountain.
Cloth of Cloud is a grand-daughter of Group I Hollywood and Santa Anita Oaks winner Hidden Light, who has become a familiar name in Australian pedigrees as she is the dam of Artie Schiller (USA), who stood at stud in Australia and left G1 winner and successful sire Flying Artie.
Drumbeat is the 24th G1 winner for Wootton Bassett, who sadly died in Australia last spring.
