Facteur Cheval is likely to head to Royal Ascot after his Dubai World Cup night heroics in Meydan.

Jerome Reynier’s five-year-old has been the most consistent of operators when campaigning predominantly over a mile, finishing no worse than third in six starts in top company last season and ending the campaign by chasing home Big Rock at Ascot on British Champions Day.

Upped in distance to nine furlongs for a red-hot renewal of the Dubai Turf, the French challenger finally got his moment in the spotlight, revelling around the turns of Meydan to prevail by a short head in the hands of Maxime Guyon.

Further international assignments could be on the horizon once a trip to Royal Ascot for the meeting-opening Queen Anne Stakes is out of the way, with connections keen to explore more opportunities to race around a bend.

“I think the conditions favoured him and he’s more of an American type of horse to tell the truth,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the horse in partnership with Gary Barber.

“I think he wants to run on a round track and with a pace to run at.

“He can handle any kind of surface, but I think he prefers a sounder surface and most of those races in Europe he ran in when he was finishing second and third, they were too tactical – especially in France, where they go so slow – and he doesn’t have that instant burst of speed.

“I think now we have figured out what he enjoys doing, we’re going to figure out a programme around that.

“We will go to Ascot probably and run in the Queen Anne because it’s an exciting race and people would like to see it, but after that I think we will focus on international races on a round course.”

Facteur Cheval could also be seen plying his trade on dirt before the end of the year, having impressed in his trackwork on that particular surface out in the Middle East.

Although no concrete plans are made, that would bring some valuable prizes in America into the equation, including the season-ending Breeders’ Cup, which this year takes place at Del Mar in November.

“Another thing is, he trained great on the dirt over there in Meydan and I think we will try him on that also,” continued Irwin.

“I wouldn’t run him in the Breeders’ Cup Mile because that is two turns and at Del Mar it is too tight a turf course and he’s too big a horse to adapt to that.

“Santa Anita would be a little better but a mile and a quarter on dirt is something we will take a good look at. We haven’t planned anything yet after Ascot, but after that every option is open.”

Irwin also reserved special praise for the son of Ribchester’s handler, who he credits with formulating the successful Dubai Turf plan.

He added: “I’ve got to give all my credit to my trainer and he figured the whole thing out.

“He took a chance not prepping the horse beforehand and he knew what he had. For a young guy, he is quite the thinker and a very impressive individual.”

Facteur Cheval just held off the late lunge of Japanese challenger Namur to win the Dubai Turf, in which Lord North was unplaced in search of his fourth win in the race.

Trained in France by Jerome Reynier, the winner was last seen finishing second to his compatriot Big Rock in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day.

It has previously been suggested that Facteur Cheval needed soft ground to be seen at his best, as he arguably showed his top form in testing conditions when second to Paddington in the Sussex Stakes, but he showed his versatility on this occasion.

Hollie Doyle somehow managed to get Nashwa to the front from her wide draw in stall 14 but with a furlong to run, she had run her race.

Her John and Thady Gosden stablemate Lord North looked threatening at one point but age may have finally caught up with the eight-year-old as he found disappointingly little.

Measured Time burst through with a challenge on the inside and briefly hit the front but Facteur Cheval and Namur came powering down the centre of the track.

The pair crossed the line together but it was Facteur Cheval and Maxime Guyon who got the verdict on the nod.

“He’s amazing because he’s just as good when the ground is heavy or soft,” said Guyon

“But he’s never been the same as he was today. The turn of foot he showed was better than he’s ever shown.”

In the closing stages, Christophe Lemaire suffered a nasty fall from Catnip and was stretchered off the track and taken to hospital for observation.

Jerome Reynier was delighted with Facteur Cheval after his tenacious second-placed performance in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot.

The bay travelled over from France for the mile showpiece to round off a consistent season in which he had never been out of the top three.

In five Group-level starts prior to Ascot, the gelding had not been beaten more than a length and a half, finishing third to Anmaat in the Prix d’Ispahan, second to Paddington in the Sussex Stakes and third to Sauterne in the Prix du Moulin.

Big Rock was the runner-up on the latter occasion and on soft ground in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes it was the same horse who flew home to secure a six-length success.

His compatriot ensured the race was a French-dominated affair, however, with Facteur Cheval giving chase to make up a huge amount of ground from last place when finishing second ahead of a group of quality horses.

Reynier was thrilled with his horse, who was a 14-1 chance under Mickael Barzalona and did the stable proud on his final run as a four-year-old.

“It was great,” said the trainer. “He didn’t get the best run, as he was in a good position early on but he had to go behind Paddington and he ended up going backwards, unfortunately.

“He had to come back from behind and go around all the horses, it was almost impossible to make the second place but he was very courageous to give his all and go and beat the Aga Khan filly (Tahiyra) – it was just unbelievable.

“I thought he was going to struggle to finish but he is a swimmer, he loves that kind of ground.

“It feels like a win because Big Rock was unstoppable, we did what we could and finishing second was the maximum of his ability on the day.

“We weren’t too far from Big Rock on quick ground, so maybe one day we will be able to compete with him.”

Facteur Cheval will be given a break over the winter and could then be on his travels again in 2024, with Dubai and Newbury both mentioned as possible targets.

“It’s an amazing four-year-old campaign that he’s had, he’s been very consistent, even though he didn’t win a race this year,” Reynier added.

“He’s been second in the QEII, second in the Sussex, third in the Ispahan, third in the Moulin, they have been amazing achievements and we can’t wait for him to have a bit of a holiday and start off next year in good shape.

“He deserves a break, we could go to Dubai with him for the Dubai Turf for his reappearance.

“We’ll maybe come back to England for the Lockinge, he likes races with a lot of pace and sometimes in France he doesn’t get the pace he likes, we’ll see – we’ll talk to connections and we’ll decide together which is the best route to take.”

Connections of Facteur Cheval are eager to see more rainfall at Ascot ahead of his tilt at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day.

Jerome Reynier’s ultra-consistent performer is yet to finish outside the first three in five outings this term, beaten less than two lengths on each occasion, with his last three appearances coming at Group One level.

The Facteur Cheval team are looking forward to another crack at Paddington having been short of room when second to Aidan O’Brien’s prolific winner in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

“It’s the plan and he could run on any type of surface, but he’s better with some give in the ground and the wetter the better, like when he won the Prix Perth at Saint-Cloud,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the horse in partnership with Gary Barber.

“We have skipped some other races he could have run in waiting for the race next weekend figuring it would be really wet again.”

If the ground is quicker than Facteur Cheval ideally likes, connections will use it as a guide to next year.

Irwin added: “I think at this point we’re looking at it as much, if not more, as a test to see how he handles that (quicker) going at this point of his life, as our goal next year is the Dubai Turf. This will be a good test to see how he handles that type of track.

“That mile up the straight at Ascot is more like a mile and eighth and that’s the distance of the Dubai Turf.

“That’s what we’re looking at and whether we are going to have a big impact on this race now – and unless we get lucky and the ground turns very soft – that is something we’re a bit concerned about obviously.”

Brave Sussex Stakes runner-up Facteur Cheval will be seeking big-race compensation on home soil in the Prix du Moulin at ParisLongchamp on Sunday.

Jerome Reynier’s ultra-consistent performer is yet to finish outside the first three in four outings this term, beaten less than two lengths on each occasion.

He finished a valiant second to Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, with the four-year-old beaten a length and a half after a less than ideal passage/

Now connections are hoping that mammoth effort on the Sussex Downs has not left a mark as they go in search of an elusive Group One triumph in a race that that also includes Prix du Jockey Club and Jacques le Marois runner-up Big Rock.

“We’re looking forward to it but I’m a little bit nervous because he had a very hard race last time, plus he had a trip,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the horse in partnership with Gary Barber.

“Even though it’s back in four and a half weeks which sounds like a reasonable amount of time, in the back of my mind I’m hoping he doesn’t react to that last race, it certainly knocked out Paddington.

“He is facing a pretty darn good horse in Big Rock. We have a very big, strong horse and Mickael Barzalona is going to get on him this time. We are hopeful for a good race because Big Rock likes to go off in front and we need to have a target. The races where he hasn’t ran quite up to scratch this year are when he got too far behind in a paceless race.”

A bold showing for Facteur Cheval in Paris this weekend could tee up a potential Qipco British Champions Day rematch with his Goodwood conqueror Paddington in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot later in the autumn.

Irwin added: “I’m planning on coming over for the Queen Elizabeth and I see Paddington might run in that one as well, so that would be a hell of a contest.

“Both horses love it soft to heavy and at that time of year you might get a racetrack like that. That will be a good contest and the layout of that straight course at Ascot, going uphill, favours a miler that has got stamina and can go at least another furlong, which we have proved that we can do and it could be a pretty exciting contest.”

Remarkably, Christopher Head’s Big Rock is also seeking his first top-level success and is another to bring some high-class form to the table.

He finished second when sent off favourite for his last two big-race assignments and with connections persevering with the one-mile distance, they will hope to see the Rock Of Gibraltar colt regain a winning thread which saw him string together four impressive victories earlier in the campaign.

Jean-Claude Rouget’s Erevann is without a victory since winning last year’s Prix Daniel Wildenstein, but is a proven Group-level performer and will have the chance to emulate his dam Ervedya who struck gold in this for connections in 2015.

Patrice Cottier’s Sauterne has placed in both the Prix Jean Prat and Prix Rothschild recently following defeat at the hands of Kelina in Chantilly’s Prix de Sandringham at Chantilly prior to that.

Both are well worth their place in the field, with the latter having the chance to add to trainer Carlos Laffon-Parias’ 2018 triumph in the contest.

Andre Fabre is also no stranger to success in this event and will saddle Group One-winning juvenile Belbek, while Yann Barberot’s hat-trick-seeking Fast Raaj and Fabrice Chappet’s Topgear complete the line-up.

Jerome Reynier has the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Qipco British Champions Day in mind for Facteur Cheval after his honourable second to Paddington at Goodwood.

The four-year-old was been incredibly consistent in France all year, placing in a string of Group races when never far behind the winner.

In late May he was third in the Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp, coming home just a head behind Owen Burrows’ Anmaat in the nine-furlong Group One.

His next destination was the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood, another Group One for which he was a 11-1 shot under Maxime Guyon.

Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington dominated the market and was ultimately the winner, but Reynier’s runner gave the 4-9 favourite a real run for his money despite encountering some traffic problems two furlongs from home.

Facteur Cheval now has a return to British shores pencilled into his diary, with another run on home turf beforehand likely, as Reynier considers the Prix du Moulin over the Prix Daniel Wildenstein to allow for the ideal Ascot preparation.

“We’re very happy with him, he has been recovering from the run and the journey and he is in very good shape,” the trainer said.

“We are going to aim for the QEII at the end of the year and maybe have another run in between in something like the Moulin.

“We will see, depending on the ground, the opposition and how he feels.

“He could race there in September, but we are aiming for the QEII which is on October 21. I don’t really want to try the Prix Daniel Wildenstein on the Arc weekend on the September 30 and then three weeks later send him to Ascot – that’s maybe a little bit too much to ask of him.”

Reynier hopes the horse will continue to take strides forward and could prove to be as reliable a campaigner as his evergreen stablemate Skalleti.

“He ran very well, he is improving mentally and physically and should be a very nice horse for the QEII and next year he should be a proper international campaigner,” he said.

“He handles everything but we are trying to manage him and the softer it is, the better it is for him.

“We’ve done it with Skalleti and there are many points of comparison with them, hopefully with Facteur Cheval we’ll end up with 12 Group wins like Skalleti has already!”

Skalleti is a stalwart of the Reynier stable and a remarkably consistent performer over a mile to 10 furlongs, winning 20 of his 31 starts with over half of his successes coming in Group company – including twice at the top level.

He is another horse who appreciates cut in the ground and he will be aimed at the Prix Dollar, a Group Two run on Arc weekend that he has won twice previously.

“It’s a question of the weather and the ground,” Reynier said.

“He’ll probably be aiming for the Prix Dollar on Arc weekend, he’s won the race twice.

“He loves Longchamp and the ground is very often soft there on Arc weekend, so that’s probably the plan with him.”

Jerome Reynier will target Qipco British Champions Day with Facteur Cheval after finishing best of the rest behind Paddington in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

The French raider had been kept fresh since finishing a close-up third behind the Owen Burrows-trained Anmaat in the Prix d’Ispahan at the end of May.

Given a patient ride by Maxime Guyon, the 11-1 chance moved into contention with a couple of furlongs to run and briefly looked like giving red-hot favourite Paddington a real run for his money.

In the end Aidan O’Brien’s superstar colt found more to extend his unbeaten record this season to six, but Reynier was understandably thrilled with his four-year-old’s performance in defeat.

He said: “It’s like a victory today. We really thought he was going to beat Paddington, but he had the stands rail and we were in the middle of the track and he was stuck in the middle of traffic.

“He ran a great race, he was third in a Group One the other day and second today in a very nice Group One and I hope the next time we will be able to win at that level.

“With five runners it was best to wait at the back for a late challenge. We were the fourth favourite out of five runners, so we thought if he can just beat one or two home, we would be happy, but we never thought he was going to be able to run that way.

“He keeps improving mentally and physically, so probably the best is yet to come.”

Reynier has gone close on Champions Day before, with Skalleti filling the runner-up spot behind Addeybb in the Champion Stakes three years ago.

Facteur Cheval is also be Ascot bound, with the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes a logical target.

“Fingers crossed he will be coming back in good shape and we can aim for the Queen Elizabeth at the end of the year with him,” the trainer added.

Roger Varian was pleased with the performance of third home Charyn, who was placed again behind Paddington having run well behind him in both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the St James’s Palace Stakes.

“He ran well and he prefers better ground. He travelled into it well,” said the Newmarket handler.

“He ran very well at Royal Ascot to be third in the St James’s Palace, nearly second, and he ran very well in the Irish Guineas (finished fourth), so he’s knocking on the door at this top level.

“He doesn’t like this ground really, he wants better ground.”

The disappointment of the race was John and Thady Gosden’s three-time Group One winner Inspiral.

Frankie Dettori made an early move in the straight in an effort to beat Paddington to the stands rail, but his mount soon came under pressure and weakened to finish last of five.

Dettori said: “We tried, but it was very obvious that she doesn’t cope with this kind of ground.

“If the ground dries up and she comes out of this race, we can back her up in the race she won in France last year (Prix Jacques le Marois).

“It was obvious what was going to happen – Paddington got a lead and everything his own way, so I grabbed the fence as I had to make a race of it.”

There will be a continental flavour to the Qatar Sussex Stakes next week as French raider Facteur Cheval is set to take his chance in the red-hot Goodwood contest.

It will be a long journey to the Sussex Downs for the four-year-old, with trainer Jerome Reynier based near Marseille in the south of France.

However, having produced a career best when denied by a head in the Prix d’Ispahan in May, connections are keen to pick up a share of the £1million prize-fund on offer, en-route to their main objective for the second half of the campaign, the Woodbine Mile on September 16.

“Our main goal for the fall is the Woodbine Mile and we needed something to tick him over,” said Barry Irwin, CEO of Team Valor, who own the gelding in partnership with Gary Barber.

“We know this is going to be an insurmountable task, but the timing is right and he is improving, so we are going to send him and see what happens.”

Facteur Cheval has won five of his 10 career stars with his biggest victory coming in the Prix Perth on his final outing last year.

Although he has failed to add to his tally this season, the son of Ribchester has held his own in three high-class events and connections retain plenty of faith in Facteur Cheval, who will be partnered for the first time by Maxime Guyon in the Qatar Goodwood Festival contest.

“Obviously we’re probably going to be running against Paddington and you can’t go into it thinking we’re going to win,” added Irwin.

“But we’ve got a lot of faith in this horse, he’s had a lot of bad luck and we’re hoping we’re going to get a better go of it this race.

“He’s going to be ridden by Maxime Guyon and he has a lot of ability. He just needs the space to run in, once he gets going he’s pretty good.”

Irwin hopes Facteur Cheval will fare better than Star Of Cozzene, who was sent to the Sussex Stakes in the early 1990s in search of testing ground and found the undulations of Goodwood too hot to handle.

“I ran a horse there in the same race in 1992 called Star Of Cozzene,” he added. “He was one of the best horses we have ever had.

“He was fantastic over here in America and I got the bright idea to send him to Europe because he loved heavy ground. He never won a race there, he placed a couple of times but it just never happened.

“When we ran him at Goodwood, he had never run without toe wraps before and he just slid down the hill, he must have been 25 lengths off the lead at one stage and ran sixth. So I know what a difficult place Goodwood is.”