Cox Plate entry Mandour failed to enhance his chances of travelling to Australia with an even performance at Deauville in France over the weekend, reports Racing Victoria. Trained by Melbourne Cup winner Alain de Royer-Dupre and owned by the Aga Khan's daughter Princess Zahra, the chestnut had been touted for Australasia’s weight-for-age championship after a solid start to his season with a third-place in the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan (1800m) and an authoritative victory in a 2000-metre Listed race at Sandown.
Mandour was back on home soil and at that same distance for the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron and was held up at the rear of the field by Christophe Lemaire before being unleashed at the 200.
While the colt was closing at the end, he did not show the acceleration he displayed at Sandown and was only fourth behind German challenger Petit Chevalier and the top-class Cirrus des Aigles.
Also engaged in the likes of the Champion Stakes and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, his next entry is the Grand Prix de Deauville (2500m) back at the Normandy track on 25 August.
The winner is likely to take on the King George winner Novellist in next month's Grosser Preis von Baden (2400m), while Corine Barbe still need to see a little more from Cirrus des Aigles, the triple Group 1 winner who has been beaten in all three starts this year.
"I was disappointed he was beaten but he is still making progress," she said.
"His main target is the Champion Stakes at Ascot, and he will have one or two more races before then."