FORMERLY owned by Brendan and Anne-Marie Hayes, for whom she won the French 1000 Guineas, Precieuse has been bought by Peter Brant of White Birch Farm and he has paid £35,000 to supplement the classic winner into next Friday’s Coronation Stakes.

So the English, French and Irish 1000 Guineas winners clash in the Coronation and Winter will be a tough nut to crack. Precieuse was bred by the Hayes at their Knocktoran Stud and the daughter of Tamayuz has never been out of the first two in six races. Both her victories have been on very soft ground which is unlikely to prevail at Ascot in six days time.

Fabrice Chappet is pleased with the way the filly came out of the Pouliches so she might make at least a place.

Sadly, neither the leading French chances Cloth Of Stars or Vazirabad will make it to Ascot but Mekhtaal will turn out for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. This colt is just reaching a peak, which he showed when pegging back Robin Of Navan in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan. Last year, the son of Sea The Stars lived a little in the shadow of his famous stablemate Almanzor but he did win the Prix Hocquart.

Harry Herbert, racing manager for Al Shaqab Racing said: “Mekthaal has to go on improving and find a bit more, but it was a very solid performance last time out when he won the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan. It is a big step up again but his trainer thought the world of him last year and he was very impressive Group 2 winner before he lost his way a bit.”

Do not write off the French sprinters in the King’s Stand Stakes. Finsbury Square and Signs Of Blessing are old rivals but it appears for the moment that the latter has the upper hand. He was a comfortable winner of the five-furlong Prix de Saint-Georges at Deauville last month and Finsbury Square was nearly three lengths away third.

The nap for a French horse at Ascot must be Le Brivido in the Jersey Stakes. Trained by Andre Fabre, he was just touched off in the final strides of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains by Brametot who went on to capture the Prix du Jockey Club. The son of Siyouni is back to his perfect distance and is a fresh horse.

Fabre also has a great chance of landing the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes with Usherette. She won this race last year and did not have the clearest runs when third in the d’Ispahan.

There is a strong French challenge for this Group 2 event as Qemah is one of four fillies engaged. She won the Coronation Stakes a year ago. The filly reappeared at Lingfield in May and was runner-up in a Group 3 contest but did not have the clearest of runs.

Herbert continued: “Lingfield was a bit of a disaster. There were no suitable races for her in France and Jean-Claude liked the idea of heading over to Lingfield but in the race she was too fresh and Frankie couldn’t get cover.

“It was a disappointment but it took the buzz out of her and she has been training really well. As a dual Group 1 winner going into a Group 2, you’d have to hope she would run very well.”

Fas looks good each-way value in the Commonwealth Cup. Trained by Pia Brandt, the colt is on a hat-trick and beat the Pouliches winner Precieuse in the Group 3 Prix Sigy over six furlongs by a very comfortable margin.

Limato was beaten over nine lengths by The Right Man who just held on to win a Group 1 sprint at Meydan in March and he lines up for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

The French will come back with a fair share of the spoils and the best value looks to be the Fabre pair Le Brivido and Usherette.