Deauville Sunday

2.50 Darley Prix Robert Papin (Group 2) (2yo colts and fillies) 5f 110yds

British-trained two-year-olds overwhelmed the home contingent in France’s top juvenile events of 2018 and it looks like being more of the same at Deauville tomorrow when Simon Crisford’s A’Ali is the outstanding favourite for the Group 2 Darley Prix Robert Papin.

Cross-Channel challengers have plundered this prize in each of the last five seasons and, although the five-and-a-half-furlong event will have a different complexion this time, the current drought in Paris causing a last minute switch from its regular Maisons-Laffitte venue to the Normandy coast, the result is set to be depressingly familiar for the local turfistes.

A’Ali will probably find this easier than his last outing, when he beat Ventura Rebel by a neck in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot with a gap of almost three lengths back to the best of the rest of a 14-strong field.

This extra half-furlong should be well within the compass of the son of Society Rock – his dam stayed a mile even as a two-year-old – and more of a worry might be that he is set to encounter fast ground for the first time.

Should that prove his undoing, Richard Fahey’s Istanbul may be the one to take advantage. He has won nothing more than a Beverley maiden, but this representative of the first season stallion Gutaifan (himself a Robert Papin winner) has always been held in the highest regard by Fahey, and that’s saying something given the strength of his two-year-old team.

French trainers do at least account for more than half of the Papin field for the first time since 2014.

The home team is more about quantity than quality – Jolie may have only been touched off in the Group 3 Prix du Bois but her earlier outings included three in claiming company so she is no world beater.

If the trophy is to be successfully defended, then the most likely conduit is Alex Pantall’s Sommerabend filly, Fantastic Diamond. She was a convincing scorer at Maisons-Laffitte on her only start to date and that maiden has already produced three winners.

SELECTION: A’ALI

Next best: Istanbul

Later on the Deauville card, the centre of attention will be last year’s Prix du Jockey Club hero, Study Of Man, who drops down to a mile for the first time since his two-year-old days in the €80,000 Group 3 Prix Messidor.

Trained by Pascal Bary, this Deep Impact colt has been runner-up in Group 1 company on both his 2019 starts, first in the Prix Ganay and then in the Prix d’Ispahan.

The Messidor’s move away from Maisons-Laffite is great news for his owner-breeders, the Niarchos family, as it means that Study Of Man can gain match practice over the course and distance of next month’s Prix Jacques Le Marois, a race that they sponsor and have won nine times in the last 32 years.

André Fabre saddles two against Study Of Man and, with Trais Fluors having become a little disappointing, his main hope could be Impulsif, who has responded well to a gelding operation but will be making his stakes race debut.