Doha, Qatar­­­: Look De Vega emerged as the classy winner of a wide open Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC)-sponsored Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, also known as the French Derby, at Chantilly yesterday.

Trained by father and son Carlos and Yann Lerner, Look de Vega pulled clear in the final furlong to add his name to a roll of honour that includes his sire, Lope de Vega, winner of the Prix du Jockey Club in 2010.

President of the Asian Equestrian Federation and Vice Chairman of QREC Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiya crowned the winners.

“This is fantastic, towards the end of my career to do this with my son Yann,” said France-based Carlos Lerner, who landed the 2001 Prix du Jockey-Club with Anabaa Blue.

Look De Vega on his way to win the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club. 

“We’ve never never had a horse like this, he’s a crack. I was confident. The horse as you can see is made for that,” Yann Lerner added.

Aidan O’Brien was on hand to saddle Diego Velazquez 24 hours after training City of Troy to land his record-extending 10th Epsom Derby. Ridden like City of Troy by Ryan Moore, Diego Velazquez held every chance but faded in the closing 200 metres to come in eighth. The 5-1 winner was ridden by Ronan Thomas who said: “I’m enormously proud. Whatever happens now to leave a little trace in racing history and to win a home Derby is something to savour.”

Look De Vega pulled clear of the field in a race run in the heaviest ground since 2000 to win by two lengths from First Look, trained by Andre Fabre who had trained the winner’s sire.

“Look De Vega is the best horse I’ve ever bred,” said breeder and co-owner Lucien Urano.

Fabre’s Sosie finished third, a further neck away with the fancied English challenger Ghostwriter in fourth.