Sunday marks the midpoint of Deauville’s month-long summer Festival, so it’s appropriate that the feature event is the one for which the meeting is best known, the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois over the straight mile.
It’s also a fitting time to pass on a couple of observations from Deauville that have been apparent over the past two weeks or so; firstly, the ground has mostly ridden a lot faster than the official description, often as much as two ‘designations’ away (so that ground described officially as soft, Timeform have called good) and horses drawn high have struggled on the round course, particularly if they have been dropped in for a late run, no matter what their previous sectionals might have suggested with regards to their turn of foot.
I’d certainly keep Al Aali, who I put up in this column last week, and Omni Man, another bet of mine in the last seven days, onside for the remainder of the year; both were dropping back two furlongs in trip and finished a never-nearer sixth after being forced widest of all into the very short straight, Al Aali in the Prix Daphnis and Goodwood handicap winner Omni Man in the valuable Arquana Series Des 3 Ans.
Winter to blossom in midsummer?
Anyway, back to Sunday’s action and the Prix Jacques le Marois which was to give Europe’s best miler (his trainer’s words, not mine) Rosallion another chance to redeem himself and add a first Goup 1 win as a four-year-old to those he gained at three in the St James’s Palace Stakes and Irish 2000 Guineas and two in the Prix Jean Luc-Lagardere.
Nothing Rosallion had done in his first two races this season suggested he is Britain’s best miler but even though there was much more merit in his latest effort when inched out by Qirat in the Sussex Stakes (sectional timing analysis suggests he ought to have beaten the winner four lengths), he’s been declared a non-runner because of a bruised foot. He might not be in situ, then, but his form is being ‘represented’ as two of the four horses who have beaten him this season are – Docklands, who won the Queen Anne, coming from behind Rosallion in a slowly-run race - and Dancing Gemini, who finished second in the Lockinge when Rosallion was third.
On the face of it, Docklands isn’t the same horse away from Ascot but in his defence he’s not had the opportunity to run over a straight mile anywhere else so has that potential ace up his sleeve and is reunited with Tom Marquand who got to know him in the Sussex.
Dancing Gemini started the season strongly in his quest to follow in the footsteps of 2024 champion older miler Charyn but the wheels have come off gradually as the season has progressed and he had the big advantage of race fitness when beating Rosallion in the Lockinge.
Last year’s 2000 winner Notable Speech finished behind Roasllion in both the Lockinge and Queen Anne and finished his race weakly again when dropped to six furlongs for the July Cup, while Diego Velazguez has won three of his last four races but doesn’t look good enough and started 14/1 for the Queen Anne compared to Roasllion’s 5/2, besides which Ryan Moore has elected to look elsewhere.
Japanese filly Ascoli Piceno (one of two Japanese runners) has looked an improved performer this season, winning both a Grade 2 sprint over an extended six furlongs and the Grade 1 Victoria Mile, and the Japanese struck at Deauville on Saturday when winning the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano. She might well be good enough, but equally this might be the race that The Lion In Winter roars back to form.
Winter favourite for the 2000 Guineas, he didn’t show a great deal in the Dante and the Derby on his return but looked more his old self when dropped to 1400m in the Prix Jean Prat last time, keeping on strongly in third place, and not only will he be no less effective over this extra furlong but had the form of his latest run boosted by Woodshauna’s effort in the Prix Maurice de Gheest last weekend.
The other three-year-old in the field, Ridari, has come up short in both the French 2000 Guineas and Derby and fared no better in the face of an easier task when third behind the Crisford’s Quddwah at Chantilly last time, so looks up against it but hard as I look, I’m not seeing much value in the current odds.
Consent given a fair chance
The first pattern event on the card is the Prix Lady O’Reilly, formerly known as the Prix Minerve, and given it is over 2500m and restricted to fillies is somewhat surprising the sponsors the Aga Khan Studs don’t have a runner.
On paper it’s a tight affair, with just 4lb covering the six horses Timeform considers best in at the weights. At the top of that sextet is the Gosden’s Understudy, who finished second in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot but could then manage only fifth in a listed race at Newmarket when beaten eleven lengths. Whether that was down to the soft ground or the aftereffects of her effort on extremely fast ground at Ascot I’m not sure, but the fact remains she has drawn the outside stall at a track where there is a very short run to the first bend.
Zia Agnese and Kiamba are next in the ratings, just 2lb behind Understudy. Zia Agnese won the Group 3 Prix Cleopatra earlier in the season and after beating only one home in the French Oaks finished third from too far back in the Group 3 Prix de Psyche last time when marginally behind one of Understudy’s stablemates, Life Is Beautiful, who had been fifth in the Ribblesdsale.
Kiamba finished third behind the filly Zia Agnese beat in the Cleopatra, Tajlina, in the Prix Penelope earlier this year but seemed to appreciate the step up to 2400m last time in a listed race at Longchamp albeit not really achieving much more than useful form.
Indalimos, second in the Prix de Royaumont behind easy winner Sunly last time where she was closely followed home by the re-opposing Ginalyah (a surprise fourth) and Rabbit’s Foot (fifth) are the others with the best form claims, but the race looks open to an improver.
One that fits the bill is Consent from Sir Mark Prescott’s yard. She won only a novice event at Newbury on her belated reappearance, but she did it easily with eleven lengths back to the third and started odds on on her debut, most unusual for one for one from her stable, and possibly hasn’t as much to find as ratings suggest.
Take on Weld raider with improving local
The Prix Nureyev, the second elite level race on the card, has only listed status but has attracted a Group-quality field with Damysus, Purview and NITOI all having finished placed at either Group 2 or 3 level.
Damysus’ effort came in the Dante when he was a staying-on second to Pride Of Arras, a run that saw him sent off at 16/1 for the Derby only for him to trail in last. That poor run wasn’t entirely unsurprising - he hadn’t looked to enjoy the downhill section in the back straight at Sandown on his reappearance and he’d previously shown a noticeable tendency to lug to his left – and after that sorry experience he looks to have something to prove dropped back in trip.
Purview finished ahead of subsequent Derby third Tennessee Stud on his reappearance in the Leopardstown Derby Trial and then looked an unlucky loser when second to Snellen in a messy Meld Stakes, finding himself short of room.
That effort suggested he’s one to keep faith in for a while yet, while Roger Varian’s Jackknife also went into several trackers with his third place behind Opera Ballo in the listed Heron Stakes at Sandown last time, nearest at the finish behind one of the best three-year-old milers in the country and that after having to wait for a run. A half-brother to the Coronation Cup winner Defoe and still holding an entry in the Champions Stakes, he’s sure to improve for the longer distance.
Ed Walker’s Mister Rizz is an interesting runner, never involved in the Dante when last seen after blowing the start but running some of the fastest sectionals through the race, but home-trained Nitoi has strong form claims.
Second behind Uther in the Prix Noailles earlier in the season, he then went and won the listed Prix de Suresnes at Chantilly, beating the subsequent Grand Prix de Paris winner Leffard, the Derby fourth New Ground and the unlucky-in-running French Derby fifth Azimpour. He then ran in the French Derby himself but ended up with the worst draw of all, completely on the outside, and never landed a blow after covering more ground according to the official tracking data than any other horse apart from Leffard. Rested since, presumably with a view to a tilt later in the year at the Arc, he has Maxime Guyon back on board here and looks to me to have the best credentials.
Daytona certain to keep rallying
The Aga Khan colours are represented in the other race they sponsor, the Group 3 Prix Francois Boutin over the straight 1400m, with Francis Graffard’s Rayif who scraped home on his only previous start which was here at the start of July.
None of the three horses that chased him home in that event has won since, albeit the fifth managed a success at Dieppe, but he holds an entry in the Luc-Lagardere so commands some degree of respect even if he is below the form shown by nearly all the British and Irish raiders who make up five of the seven runners.
The one to beat is Daytona who is unbeaten in two races and showed much improved form last time when winning a listed race at Naas in a very smart time from a horse, North Coast, who then came out and won the Group 3 Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown by six lengths. That form puts him 8lb clear and so long as the drop back in trip – and it’s not quite seven furlongs, remember – doesn’t inconvenience him he will be hard to beat.
Andab is next best on ratings, but he’s already finished out of the first three in the Coventry and the Vintage Stakes. Even so, he holds Bourbon Blues (eighth in Coventry and since sixth in the Superlative) and Laureate Crown (eighth in the Vintage) on those bits of form. Charlie Johston sent Lazy Griff over to win in France last year and his maiden Evanesco (who has been supplemented for this) has already shown useful form as has the other French runner Kenzel who also has a Luc-Lagardere entry.
This looks a slightly odd piece of placing by Aidan O’Brien for Daytona, but the same thing could have been said about Lambourn’s visit to Craon last year and we know how that project turned out. It looks his to lose.
American calling for Sajir
Apparently last week’s Maurice de Gheest winner Sajir has not as his targets the remaining top sprints as might have been expected of one who showed much improved form in both that race and, earlier in the year, the Abernant Stakes at Newmarket, but the Prix de la Foret and the Breeders’ Cup Mile.
Sajir has repeatedly shown himself less effective at trips around 1400m or seven furlongs, at least in France, and one would have thought the Breeders’ Cup Sprint would be a much more winnable alternative.
Selection
1pt win Nitoi in 1.33 Deuaville at 9/2 (General)
Published at 0840 BST on 17/08/25
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