Jean-Claude Rouget and Cristian Demuro have scaled the greatest heights in tandem, but there can surely never have been as emotional a triumph shared by the two men than Leffard's nail-biting short-head defeat of Coolmore's Trinity College in the 2,400-meter (about 1 1/2-mile) Grand Prix de Paris (G1) July 13.
The author of a pair of Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (G1) victories with Demuro as his trusted man aboard, Rouget hadn't won a group 1 since that golden day in October 2023 when Ace Impact brought Longchamp to heel.
More than that, he has been absent from the racecourse for a large part of the intervening time battling cancer, returning to Paris for the first time in more than a year when Leffard ran in the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) at Chantilly last month.
A wide draw did for the son of Le Havre on that occasion, but Rouget rolled the dice again, supplementing Leffard for €15,000 to the Grand Prix de Paris and handing the reins to Demuro for the first time in the Longchamp parade ring.
A visibly more frail figure since his illness, Rouget still raised a shout and the rhythmic stamping and clapping that accompanied so many of his previous victories as Demuro slipped the stiletto in late to deny Ryan Moore and Trinity College, who had eased to the front two furlongs out.
"I think I'm more relaxed than I used to be," said Rouget when asked how he felt as the result was confirmed.
"The horse was very well so I said we'd try. He had a dream run through the race and my final instructions to Cristian were to leave it as late as he dared and be the last to attack.
"It's been very hard, but this is magnificent."
Rouget purchased the colt in 2023 for $163,323 at the Arqana Deauville Yearling Sale from the consignment of Haras de Cadran. He also bought and trained his sire, Le Havre, as a yearling at the same sale in 2007. Le Havre won the 2009 Prix du Jockey Club (G1) and went on to become a prominent sire in France, siring five group 1 winners.
Aidan O'Brien was philosophical after Trinity College was just denied late on.
"He's run a great race and we just got beat," said the trainer. "I think he stayed the mile and a half."
Video
