The home team faces a strong overseas challenge at Longchamp but John Ingles picks out some of the best French hopes away from the Arc.
Alcantor – Prix Daniel Wildenstein, Saturday
Andre Fabre drops Alcantor back down in grade in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein in a bid to better his third place in the same contest last year. Alcantor probably found himself in front plenty soon enough in a strongly-run race on that occasion once the pacemaker had dropped away and he was headed over a furlong out and beaten a length and a half at the line behind fellow three-year-old Ramadan. He had finished in front of the same rival earlier that season over the same course and distance when third again, but not beaten as far, in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.
But he ended his three-year-old campaign with a clear-cut success in the Prix Perth at Saint-Cloud on soft ground and began the current season with another win under similar conditions at the same track in the Prix Edmond Blanc. Alcantor wasn’t at his best on his next two starts, finishing fourth to Dancing Gemini when sent over for the bet365 Mile at Sandown and then filling the same position behind another British-trained rival, Quddwah, in the Prix Messidor at Chantilly in July, but he was back to his best returned to Longchamp last time. Worn down only inside the final furlong in the Prix du Moulin after making the running, he was beaten less than a length into fourth behind Sahlan, Rosallion and The Lion In Winter, with Quddwah only sixth. That shows he’s just as effective on firmer ground and this should take less winning.
Survie – Prix de Royallieu, Saturday
There might be some rivals with less exposed profiles in the Prix de Royallieu than four-year-old filly Survie but she has some smart form to her name this season for the stable of Nicolas Clement and Flo Hermans. Having been supplemented, that gives her a solid look in a Group 1 that might not take too much winning. She’ll certainly face an easier task than she did on the same weekend last year when she was the rank outsider in the Arc but she beat more than beat her in seventh and was keeping on in the straight.
While Survie hasn’t won since the Prix de Malleret at Longchamp in the summer of last year (after a head defeat in the Prix de Diane), she has made the frame in all four of her starts this season, twice coming up against Arc favourite Aventure. She was runner-up to that filly in the Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud on her reappearance and fourth behind her in the Prix Vermeille four weeks ago when tapped for speed. In between, she was twice placed in Group 1 company, finishing third to Whirl in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh and runner-up to another Arc-bound rival Quisisana in the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville. Clement won back-to-back renewals of the Royallieu with The Juliet Rose when it was still a Group 2 over a slightly shorter trip, with Survie’s dam Sotteville finishing third in one of those renewals; her daughter shapes as though she’ll appreciate the greater test of stamina.
Green Spirit – Prix Marcel Boussac, Sunday
Green Spirit brings an unbeaten record into the Prix Marcel Boussac for trainer Christopher Head on what could be a big weekend for her owners the Wertheimer brothers. Head won the Marcel Boussac three years ago with Blue Rose Cen and Green Spirit has won the same race as that filly did beforehand, the Prix d’Aumale run over the Marcel Boussac course and distance three weeks ago. Green Spirit had only four rivals to beat, and she accomplished her task with little fuss under a waiting ride, picking up well when produced by Maxime Guyon and going to win by a length and a half from the pace-setting Narissa.
Raced only on good ground, Green Spirit won her first two starts at Saint-Cloud before narrowly landing the Prix Six Perfections at Deauville in August. However, she did well to get up on the line for a short-head win on that occasion from Donnacha O’Brien’s filly Balantina after getting boxed in on the rail earlier in the straight. The Marcel Boussac could be an interesting rematch between Green Spirit and the filly she beat a nose on her debut over six furlongs, My Highness, as the latter has also progressed very well since, completing a hat-trick last time in the Prix du Calvados at Deauville.
Nighttime – Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, Sunday
Green Spirit’s connections also have one of the main French hopes for the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere with Nighttime. The son of the late Wootton Bassett, who won the Lagardere himself, made his debut at Saint-Cloud on the same day as Green Spirit, and while he found one too good in the equivalent newcomers race for colts, he has won all three of his races since, he too successful over course and distance three weeks ago.
Nighttime ran out an easy winner from the front at Saint-Cloud on his second start before stepping up to listed company for the Prix Roland de Chambure at Deauville. He got a lead this time before again running out a convincing winner with three lengths back to the James Horton-trained Sirius A in second, a demoted runner-up in the Sirenia Stakes last time. Nighttime faced only three rivals when completing his hat-trick in the Prix La Rochette at Longchamp but improved again, albeit pushed closer this time. Once taking over in front from his pacemaker a furlong out, he had enough in hand to win by three quarters of a length from another progressive colt in Komorebi who had won his last two starts.
Maranoa Charlie – Prix de la Foret, Sunday
Christopher Head and Aurelien Lemaitre teamed up to win the Prix de la Foret twelve months ago with the filly Ramatuelle and will be bidding to repeat that success with another three-year-old, Maranoa Charlie. While he lasted out a mile to win twice over that trip as a two-year-old, his forceful run style means that he’s been seen to better effect over seven furlongs this year, while the application of a hood has no doubt helped him channel his energy more efficiently too.
Twice this season, Maranoa Charlie has made all the running, landing the Prix Djebel over Deauville’s straight track in the spring but also seen to good effect over Longchamp’s unique seven-furlong course in June in the Prix Paul de Moussac with Silius chasing him home in both races. Back at Deauville, he only just failed to hold on in the Prix Jean Prat when beaten a short neck by Woodshauna and wasn’t beaten far in Group 1 company again last time in the City of York Stakes. In a departure from usual tactics, Maranoa Charlie proved amenable to being ridden with more restraint and stayed on to be beaten half a length and a head into third behind Never So Brave and Lake Forest. That was under firmer conditions than Maranoa Charlie had faced before, too, so he won’t mind it staying dry.
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