CLASSIC trials can throw up as many questions as they produce answers and that certainly appears to be the case with regards to the top French three-year-old races run over the past week.

Traditionally, the Prix de Fontainebleau and the Prix de la Grotte, two Group 3 course and distance, right-handed mile trials for the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Pouliches, the French Guineas, which this year are run on May 12th, are the best quality events of ParisLongchamp’s second Sunday fixture of the season.

This time the Fontainebleau was won from the front by Ramadan, a Christopher Head-trainer Nurlan Bizakov-owned homebred son of Le Havre.

But Ramadan was showing the benefit of having already raced this term and my inclination would be that the three-quarters of a length runner-up, Beauvatier, might by the better Poulains prospect.

This Lope De Vega colt’s trainer, Yann Barberot, has left plenty to work on after being scarred by his experience from 12 months ago, when his American Flag looked like a potential superstar in the early spring, easily disposing of the subsequent Poulains victor in this race, only for his form to spiral downwards to such an extent that he never managed a top-two finish for the rest of the campaign.

Exciting winner

The Grotte did have an exciting winner in the form of Francis Graffard’s

• Candala

, a daughter of Frankel owned and bred by the Aga Khan who came from last to first in a nine-runner field to prevail by a short neck. Yet the time was significantly slower than the colts managed and the first five home were covered by a mere length and a half.

More pertinently still, Candala’s pedigree suggests that she may be a better prospect for the mile, two furlongs and 100 yards of the Prix de Diane than she to be is for the Pouliches.

Given that this was just her third racecourse appearance, and her first since September, she ought to have a wonderful future ahead of her, but her dam, Candarliya, was a Group 2 winner over a mile and six furlongs and Frankel is more of an influence for stamina than speed.

It was a good day for Graffard and the Aga Khan as earlier Calandagan, a Gleneagles colt with a surprising lack of fancy entries, carried off the mile, two furlongs and 100 yards Group 3 Prix Noailles.

Like Graffard, Andre Fabre is a trainer in form and, having watched his Prix d’Ispahan-bound dual Group 1 heroine Mqse De Sevigne make a winning reappearance at ParisLongchamp on Sunday, Fabre was the man to follow at Chantilly 24 hours later.

Will Scarlet, a Masar colt with a good reputation, is still in the Poulains reckoning having overcome a long absence to post a stylish victory in a mile and a furlong conditions race, then Sajir completed a Fabre double when holding off Classic Flower by half-a-length in the Group 3 Prix Sigy over five furlongs and 100 yards.

Now the winner of three of his five career starts and thought good enough to have justified a crack at last August’s Group 1 Prix Morny, Sajir should come on for this comeback run and, though a Poulains tilt is still under consideration, looks a decent candidate for the Commonwealth Cup.