three outstanding fillies was highly anticipated as one of the "races of the season". Petrushka was held up as usual, as Ramruma made the early running. Murtagh made his challenge in the straight, as Love Divine moved past Ramruma to take the lead. Petrushka produced an impressive "burst of speed" to catch Love Divine a furlong out and stayed on well to beat the Oaks winner by one and a quarter lengths. After the race one of her owners suggested that both the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Champion Stakes were being considered for her next race, with the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf as her likely end of season target. Autumn In October, Petrushka was sent to France for the Prix de l'Opéra at Longchamp. Although the opposition in the Group One race did not appear to be as strong as at York, the distance of 2000m was short of Petrushka's best and an unfavourable draw did not help her chances. Murtagh predictably held the filly up before moving her to the wide outside to challenge in the straight. Petrushka produced a sustained run to take the lead inside the final 200m and win by three quarters of a length from the Prix Saint-Alary winner Reve d'Oscar. On her final start of the season, Petrushka was sent to Churchill Downs for the Breeders' Cup and was made 7/5 favourite for the Filly & Mare Turf. She was settled in sixth place by Murtagh before being moved out to challenge in the straight. She could make no progress however, and finished fifth of the fourteen starters behind Perfect Sting. 2001: four-year-old season Petrushka was kept in training at four but had little chance to make an impact, despite positive reports concerning her form in training. On her only start she finished fifth of the six runners behind Mutafaweq in the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June. Shortly after the race it was announced that she had sustained a tendon injury in her right foreleg and would be unable to race again. At the end of June she was sold to the Darley Stud as a prospective broodmare for a reported £3,500,000. Assessment At the Cartier Racing Awards for 2000, Petrushka was named European Champion Three-Year-Old Filly. In the official International Classification, Petrushka was rated the second best European filly on a rating of 122, four pounds below