English raider The Grey Gatsby won the French Derby at Chantilly on Sunday breaking the race record in the process to become the first foreign-trained winner of the race since Shammardal in 2005.
The 20/1 shot, trained in England by Irishman Kevin Ryan who was winning his first classic, burst clear under Ryan Moore in the final furlong to beat Shamkiyr while the fast-finishing favourite Prince Gibraltar was third.
His time of 2min 05.56sec beat the previous record of 2min 05.80sec set by Darsi in 2006 over the distance of 2100 metres which has been in operation only since 2005 when it was reduced from the traditional Derby distance of 2400 metres.
Karakontie's bid to become only the third horse to do the French 2000 Guineas and Derby double never looked like materialising as he failed to find an extra gear when asked by his jockey Stephane Pasquier in the straight.
Shamkiyr had looked as if he could give trainer Alain de Royer Dupre his seventh winner in the race when he took the lead midway down the straight but jockey Christophe Soumillon could find no answers when Moore produced The Grey Gatsby down the centre of the track.
Gerald Mosse, who was standing in for Soumillon as he is under contract to Shamkiyr's owner the Aga Khan, produced Prince Gibraltar late and he came flying down the outside eating up the ground between him and the front two but it was too late.  
Source: AFP