Saint-Cloud Saturday
7.00pm Prix Eugene Adam (Group 2) 3yo 1m 2f
William Haggas is enjoying another fine season and he has found a good opportunity for one of his best up-and-coming three-year-olds with My Prospero taking on six locally-trained rivals in the valuable Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam over a mile and a quarter at Saint-Cloud’s track today.
This Iffraaj colt has looked to be crying out for this longer trip on both of his last two starts, most recently when beaten in a photo finish for the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes and earlier when finishing strongly to overhaul the front-running Reach The Moon in a strongly-run listed contest.
His stiffest opposition comes from two colts carrying the famous ‘blue with white seams’ Wertheimer brothers silks.
And although their retained jockey, Maxime Guyon, has opted to ride the unbeaten Intello gelding, Junko, the form of his Prix Noailles victory has taken plenty of knocks and he may become outpaced if this race turns into a tactical affair.
So preference is for the other Wertheimer, Vagalame, who came from a long way back to grab fifth place in the Prix du Jockey Club.
The strength of that race, already underlined by the Eclipse triumph of its winner, Vadeni, was further underlined when Onesto landed the Grand Prix de Paris on Thursday.
SELECTION: MY PROSPERO
Next best: Vagalame
Chantilly Sunday
1.33pm Darley Prix Robert Papin (Group 2) (2yo Colts & Fillies) 6f
Aidan O’Brien’s solitary Darley Prix Robert Papin success came way back in 1999 courtesy of Rossini but he has a strong hand in tomorrow’s renewal of this first Group 2 contest of the French juvenile season, now staged at Chantilly following the closure of Maisons-Laffitte.
Blackbeard may not have quite lived up to his spring reputation, as three straight victories in April and May were followed by a fourth place when favourite for Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes and a narrow reverse in the Railway Stakes, both events fully deserving their Group 2 status.
The second Ballydoyle representative is The Antarctic, a full-brother to the multiple Group 1-winning sprinter, Battaash.
He too lost his unbeaten record at Royal Ascot, finishing only seventh in the Norfolk Stakes, and then found the winning post coming a few strides too soon in a listed contest at Tipperary last month.
British and Irish two-year-old form tends to be superior to anything that the French can offer at this time of the year so an O’Brien one-two is a distinct possibility.
I am not mad about the standard of the Group 3 Prix du Bois won by Belbek with Lova in second so maybe Vicious Harry will come out best of the four domestic runners.
SELECTION: BLACKBEARD
Next best: The Antarctic
On the undercard, Jean-Claude Rouget’s Wally, a three-time pattern race winner last term but a little off colour this spring, can return to winning ways following a good Prix d’Ispahan run in the Group 3 Prix Messidor over a mile.
The Yann Barberot-trained Daisy Maisy should relish the drop in distance and can take the nine-furlong Group 3 Prix Chloe.
USA \ Anne Marie Duff
THERE is only one Grade 1 race in the US this weekend as Saratoga begins it’s late summer feast of action.
The Diana Stakes for older mares and fillies on the turf over nine furlongs sees Jamie Spencer team up with Charlie Appleby and the Dubawi filly Creative Flair, last seen when she won the Group 2 Balanchine Stakes at Meydan in February. Godolphin and Appleby won this race in 2021 with Althiqa.
She had two placings in US races last summer and takes on four Chad Brown-trained fillies with the unbeaten Quality Road four-year-old filly Bleecker Street the short-priced favourite, as she seeks her sixth win of the season. She came late to win a Grade 1 at Belmont on her last start where Rougir, the Prix de l’Opera winner last year, disappointed in fifth when favourite.
The Kingman four-year-old Technical Analysis was an all-the-way winner of a Grade 3 at Pimlico two months ago, brings tactical speed, and is two-for-two at Saratoga. Brown won five runnings from 2016 to 2020.