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Illinois provided a perfect start to Aidan O’Brien’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend with a victory in the 1m6f Group 2 Prix Chaudenay.
It was no surprise to see Illinois start favourite for the opening contest of 'Arc' weekend, having finished a close second behind stablemate Jan Brueghel in the 1m6f Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster on his previous start. The son of Galileo had enjoyed a successful season over middle to staying distances, placing in both the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes and the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris prior to his effort in the final Classic of the season.
Jockey Ryan Moore set out to make all aboard Illinois, pulling clear with three furlongs to run but the three-year-old colt faced strong opposition from the best of the domestic defence, the Patrice-Cottier trained Trafalgar Square. Maxime Guyon's mount had been prominent throughout and headed the Aidan O'Brien-trained runner with a furlong to go, forcing Illinois to dig deep before recording a comfortable two length success.
In an interview with Sky Sports Racing, Moore said: "He's entitled to win that race. He's been consistent all year. Obviously, he won at Royal Ascot, he had good runs in the Grand Prix de Paris and the [St] Leger.
"Look, he wasn't doing a whole lot in front but he found enough when I asked him. Delighted with him - I think he'd be fine between a mile and a half and a mile and six, no problem."
Paddy Power reacted to the victory by shortening Illinois from 10/1 to 8/1 for the Long Distance Cup at Ascot on Champions Day.