Brave when second in compromising conditions in the Derby, Maltese Cross (Sea The Stars) showed a different kind of courage on Tuesday evening to land ParisLongchamp's feature G1 Cygames Grand Prix de Paris.Further back than expected in the early stages, George Waud's pride and joy had to fight his way through the pack up the home straight but gave his all for Tom Marquand to thrust late and deny compatriot Ancient Egypt (Frankel) by a head for a TDN Rising Star one-two. There was a neck back to the best of the French, Al Shaqab's Alam (Zelzal), in third who in turn had a head to spare over the 13-5 favourite Varandir (Zarak) in fourth.“It was an awesome performance–he was super-tough to get through the gap, as there wasn't much space,” Marquand said of the William Haggas-trained 14-5 second favourite. “It's a big day in France and it's great to win this, it's an awesome piece of training by the team.”George Waud added, “Time and time again, he delivers because he has all the ability but also such a good brain. He knew what was going on and he made the space for Tom. Second in the Derby was one of the best days of my life, but winning a Group 1 is comparable.”Maureen Haggas said, “I thought he did unbelievably well to win from a difficult position. He does like something to aim at and he's tough and has a strong will-to-win, which is one of his greatest attributes. Tom said it was messy, but he can squirm through those gaps. It's the first time he's travelled and he's taken the whole experience in his stride and was very cool tonight even though it was hot. We always felt he'd be a very nice four-year-old and that the best was yet to come, so there are a lot of positive things to take out of this.”For Charlie Johnston, the outcome was the second time in quick succession that Ancient Egypt had come off worse in a tight finish and the disappointment was palpable. “I'm proud of the horse and he was once again underestimated–Causeway was 9-4 and we were 20-1 this morning and that's a lack of respect for the horse and how good he is,” he said. “He nearly showed them. When he kicked two down, I couldn't see anything making substantial headway, then when Varandir came at him I thought he might be third or fourth but he's unbelievably tough and very nearly fought them all off.”“Given his pedigree and his stallion potential, the team are keen to keep at this trip going forward and quite what the next move is, I'm not sure,” he added. “We've campaigned him hard, but he's got better with every race and looked a million dollars in the paddock today. He's a very good mile-and-a-half horse on fast ground and those are his conditions. I know Kia is quite keen on the Champion at the end of the season, but my reservation would be that ground at that time of year. He might like the Breeders' Cup, so we could give him a break and prepare for that–we'll see.”MALTESE CROSS WINS THE CYGAMES GRAND PRIX DE PARIS! pic.twitter.com/RV8QeYTvzl— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 14, 2026 Tuesday, ParisLongchamp, FranceCYGAMES GRAND PRIX DE PARIS-G1, €600,000, ParisLongchamp, 7-14, 3yo, c/f, 12fT, 2:24.79, g/s.1–MALTESE CROSS (FR), 128, c, 3, by Sea The Stars (Ire) 1st Dam: Nabatea (Ger), by Camelot (GB) 2nd Dam: Neele (Ire), by Peintre Celebre 3rd Dam: Night Teeny (GB), by Platini (Ger)TDN Rising Star. 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€200,000 Wlg '23 ARQDEN; 350,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-George Waud; B-Ecurie du Sud & Ecurie Gribomont; T-William Haggas; J-Tom Marquand. €342,840. Lifetime Record: SW & G1SP-Eng, 6-4-2-0, €878,821. *1/2 to Namouria (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}), SP-Ger. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.2–Ancient Egypt (Ire), 128, c, 3, Frankel (GB)–Atone (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). TDN Rising Star. 1ST GROUP BLACK 1 TYPE. (1,100,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Yulong Investments (Australia) Pty; T-Charlie Johnston. €137,160.3–Alam (Fr), 128, c, 3, Zelzal (Fr)–Katara (Fr), by Deep Impact (Jpn). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Al Shaqab Racing; T-Mikel Delzangles. €68,580.Margins: HD, NK, HD. Odds: 2.80, 22.00, 7.80.Also Ran: Varandir (Fr), Space Waltz, Limestone (Ire), Causeway (Ire).The post ‘It Was An Awesome Performance’: Marquand Gets Up On Maltese Cross For Grand Prix Glory appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.