PARIS, Oct 4: Four-time former French champion Thierry Jarnet had a disastrous start to Arc weekend when throwing away certain victory on the favourite in a Group Two race at Longchamp here Saturday.

Jarnet’s howler came in the closing stages of the Prix de Royallieu - four years after he made an identical error in the same race.

Crossing the regular finishing line in front on Whortleberry he dropped his reins and patted his mount’s neck in celebration just as Christophe Soumillon, riding like a dervish, attacked on the outside on Moon Search.

Quickly realising his error Jarnet started riding again but in vain as Moon Search collared him at the correct winning post 100 metres ahead.

Jarnet was repeating the mistake he made on Daring Miss in 1999 — that filly was trained by Andre Fabre, who ironically this time was the beneficiary of Jarnet’s misfortune as he saddled Moon Struck.

The stewards, like the favourite’s backers who lost their money, took a dim view of the rider’s lapse, and handed him a 15-day suspension.

Jarnet will be hoping for better luck in Sunday’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in which he rides one of the chief French hopes — Ange Gabriel.

Moon Struck’s win came as an unexpected but timely boost to Soumillon who teams up with leading French hope Dalakhani in the Arc.

The Aga Khan’s French Derby victor has been the long-time ante-post favourite but on Saturday he was displaced at the head of the betting by Irish challenger High Chapparal.

The reasons for the switch are twofold - one the ground has become unsuitably soft for the son of Darshaan after heavy rain in Paris and secondly he has been lumbered with an unfavourable outside draw.

French trainers took the first day honours with wins in the Royallieu followed by Weightless’ success in the Prix Dollar and a wide margin win for Special Kaldoun in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein.

The Dalakhani team of owner the Aga Khan, Soumillon and trainer Alain de Royer Dupre completed a clean sweep of Saturday’s Group Two races when Behkara beat home Risk Seeker in the Prix Hubert de Chaudenay — they will be praying lightning strikes twice come the big one Sunday.—AFP