Deauville Sunday

2.50 Haras D’etreham Prix Jean Prat (Group 1) (3yo Colts And Fillies) 7f (straight)

It is a big weekend in France for Juddmonte as, just 24 hours after Westover has star billing in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, the Banstead Manor-based breeding operation sends out its top three-year-old, the English 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean, in the Group 1 Haras d’Etreham Prix Jean Prat.

Chaldean seemed to go a little too fast in front when he was readily outpaced by Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and this drop back to seven furlongs may prove ideal for the Andrew Balding-trained colt, who was crowned Champion Two-Year-Old thanks to his victory in last year’s Dewhurst Stakes.

He is certainly likely to affirm his superiority over Hi Royal, who was less than two lengths behind him when runner-up in the Guineas, and Charyn, who came from the rear to get within a neck of him when third at Royal Ascot.

Deep race

However, this looks like a deep race, with 10 of its 13 runners having either won a pattern race or been placed in Group 1 company already this season, and a better betting proposition could be the Andreas Wohler-trained German challenger, Habana.

This daughter of Kingman got stuck in the mud on her previous visit to France, when down the field in the Prix Marcel Boussac last October, but could barely have been more impressive when making all in the Group 2 German 1000 Guineas last time out.

The sole Irish representative is Aidan O’Brien’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Meditate, who has not been at her best in three starts this season but did manage to grab the runner-up spot in the Irish 1000 Guineas in the second of them.

Other interesting candidates are the respective third-place finishers from the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Breizh Sky and Sauterne, and last year’s Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner, Belbek, who has yet to run up to that form in two 2023 starts.

SELECTION: HABANA

Next Best: Chaldean

Deauville’s other pattern race, the €80,000 Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis over six furlongs, features Sheila Lavery’s Torivega among an nine-runner field. It may go the way of Christophe Ferland’s fast-improving three-year-old filly Shalromy ahead of the Karl Burke-trained British hope, Spycatcher.

Also on the undercard, look out for a potential future star in the shape of Yann Barberot’s Lope De Vega two-year-old colt Beauvatier in the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure over seven furlongs.

He beat the subsequent brilliant Group 3 scorer Ramatuelle at Saint-Cloud last time and should have little trouble in disposing of his three opponents here.

Saint-Cloud Saturday

3.55 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Group 1) (4YO+) 1m 4f.

Westover has been found a weak Group 1 opportunity and should be able to take advantage and visit the winner’s enclosure for the first time since landing the 2022 Irish Derby in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at Saint-Cloud today.

Ralph Beckett’s four-year-old Frankel colt has only four horses to beat, and one of those is his pacemaker, Malabu Drive, who will be having his first start since moving to Beckett from the Ger Lyons yard in order to carry out front-running duties for last year’s Epsom Derby third.

Westover has contested four much hotter races than this since his classic triumph and, apart from pulling away his chance when fifth of six in the King George at Ascot, has performed with great credit, finishing sixth in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last October and second this year in both the Dubai Sheema Classic and the Coronation Cup.

The other overseas contender in the line-up is Tunnes, a Group 1-winning half-brother to Arc hero Torquator Tasso.

He has been a little disappointing this term, in particular when finishing some way behind Westover in the Coronation Cup, and would surely prefer much softer ground.

So second place may lie between Zagrey, who has not run since finishing just over two lengths behind Westover in the Sheema Classic in March, and the triple Group 2-placed Junko, who is bidding to give his trainer, Andre Fabre, a record-breaking ninth victory in this race.

SELECTION: WESTOVER

Next Best: Zagrey

Later on the Saint-Cloud card, Dermot Weld and owners Newtown Anner Stud have made an audacious move in declaring Knight To King, their once-raced Kingman half-brother to the one-time World’s Best Racehorse Ghaiyyath, against four rivals in the Group 2 Prix Eugene Adam.

This is a world away from the Gowran Park maiden he ran away with five weeks ago and the Rosewell House handler must hold Knight To King in the highest regard to countenance such a leap in class, but his inexperience may stop him from lifting the first prize in this lucrative €130,000 mile and two-furlong event and marginal preference is for Charlie Appleby’s Hampton Court Stakes third, Bold Act.