British and Irish stables preparing strong raid on Deauville

While Glorious Goodwood concludes this weekend, little more than a hundred miles to the south-east on the opposite side of the English Channel French racing takes its annual summer break from Paris and heads to the Normandy coast. Goodwood is over in five days, but Deauville is a month-long feast of racing with most of the highlights taking place over the next five weekends. That makes Deauville’s August meeting unique in Europe, and over the course of the next month it will not only attract some of the best French horses but many trained in Britain and Ireland as well and some from even further afield.

Highlight of this opening weekend is the Prix Rothschild for fillies and mares over the straight mile. Freddy Head’s top-class mare Goldikova made this race her own, winning four consecutive editions between 2008 and 2011, but since her reign the prize has been won by British or Irish stables more often than not. Aidan O’Brien has won this twice with the three-year-olds Roly Poly and Mother Earth, while Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Saffron Beach was the last British-trained winner in 2022. The Ballydoyle entry this year is Falmouth Stakes runner-up January, while the Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Crimson Advocate and last year’s Irish 1000 Guineas winner Fallen Angel head the British-trained runners.

The following weekend, sprinters take centre stage on the straight track, though the Prix Maurice de Gheest is run over the unusual distance of 1300m or six and a half furlongs. Freddy Head was a repeat winner of this contest too, with both Marchand d’Or and Moonlight Cloud completing hat-tricks. Europe’s current top sprinter Lazzat, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot this year, gained his first Group 1 win in last year’s Maurice de Gheest and will be the one to beat if taking his chance again. British sprinters have a good recent record with Muhaarar, Brando, Advertise, Space Blues and Highfield Princess all successful in the last ten years, though it remains to be seen if any from the current crop can add their names to that list.

Highlight of the whole month comes on the 17th when some of Europe’s best milers will be meeting in the Prix Jacques le Marois which has a million euros in prize money. Goldikova and Moonlight Cloud feature on the roll of honour of this contest too, along with the likes of father-and-son pair Dubai Millennium and Dubawi among Godolphin’s winners. The Gosden stable has the best recent record in the Jacques le Marois, with John Gosden first winning it in 2014 with Kingman. Since then, both Palace Pier and Inspiral have both won back-to-back editions before Charyn’s win last year for Roger Varian.

As well as Field of Gold, this year’s entries include Aidan O’Brien’s Eclipse winner Delacroix and his stablemates Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro, already classic winners in France this year, and The Lion In Winter, while Charlie Appleby has both his 2000 Guineas winners, Notable Speech and Ruling Court, to choose from. Additional interest this year looks like coming from Japan, with dual Group 1-winning filly Ascoli Piceno looking like one of two to make the trip from the Far East. Contrary to reports elsewhere, Japan has not only been represented in the race before but has been successful with Taiki Shuttle winning in 1998.

There’s a double bill of Group 1 action on the 24th, including the race that remembers Deauville’s founder the Duc de Morny. Home-trained two-year-olds have struggled to keep the Prix Morny at home, with just four French-trained winners this century, the latest being Earthlight for Andre Fabre in 2019. Whistlejacket became Aidan O’Brien’s fifth winner of the Morny last year and Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad looks a likely type to represent Ballydoyle in this year’s renewal in which he’d bidding to emulate his half-brother Vandeek who won it two years ago. Unbeaten filly Venetian Sun, winner of the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes last time, is another possible for Karl Burke who was successful with Unfortunately in 2017.

The other Group 1 on the card is the Prix Jean Romanet for fillies over a mile and a quarter. Formerly restricted to four-year-olds and upwards, it is now open to three-year-olds for the first time which should improve the quality of the field. British stables have won the Jean Romanet eight times since 2012, with Richard Hannon’s Aristia being the most recent successful visitor in 2022. Last year’s Arc runner-up Aventure, who more recently chased home Calandagan in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, takes the eye among the older fillies entered, while Aidan O’Brien’s entries include Group 1-winning three-year-olds Minnie Hauk and Whirl.

Deauville’s meeting concludes on the final Saturday of the month with the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville which has been won by some top-class performers, including the future dual King George winner Swain, one of ten winners of the race for Andre Fabre when successful as a three-year-old, and Cirrus des Aigles who was a ten-length winner in 2011 on the way to winning the Champion Stakes later that season. This year’s Grand Prix could see last year’s King George winner Goliath bid to get his career back on track, while Joseph O’Brien’s entries include Derby third Tennessee Stud and William Haggas has a few to choose from too, including stable stalwarts Hamish and Al Aasy.

Another race to keep an eye on is the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d’Ornano for three-year-olds over a mile and a quarter, run the day before the Jacques le Marois (Saturday 16th). The last couple of winners have gone on to Group 1 success in the autumn, with Economics following up in the Irish Champion Stakes for Haggas last year and the unbeaten Ace Impact taking it in 2023 on the way to winning the Arc.

This year’s race has the makings of a very informative contest too, with the Aga Khan Studs’ unbeaten Daryz, winner of the Prix Eugene Adam last time, and Cualificar, runner-up in the Prix du Jockey Club, notable French entries. But Charlie Appleby mentioned this race after his third in the Eclipse for 2000 Guineas winner Ruling Court, and he’d be well treated by the race conditions, escaping a Group 1 penalty. Japan could be represented here too with Alohi Alii who also holds an entry in the Arc.

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