Preview and view from connections ahead of Sunday's Deauville card
Jason Kiely talks to the connections of the leading fancies ahead of a star-studded Sunday card at Deauville.
The ‘chef-d’oeuvre’ on the official opening weekend of Deauville’s summer meeting is the illustrious Group 1 ‘Prix Rothschild’. Due off at 14:50 GMT, the 90th renewal of the contest, run over the straight mile and is restricted to fillies and mares aged three and upwards.
The €300,000 prize fund has attracted a healthy field of nine runners on ground described at the Normandy track as ‘very soft’. A five-strong overseas attack will be spearheaded by Laurens, herself a five time Group 1 winner and certainly no stranger to France, having won on two of her three lifetime trips.
Laurens’ trainer Karl Burke sounded quite optimistic as he explained that a return to France was always on the cards for his stable-star, who displayed incredible courage when taking last seasons ‘Prix de Diane Longines’ partnered by P J McDonald who will again take control of the reins this afternoon.
"The Rothschild was always one of the targets of the year for Laurens, she has travelled over fine and she is in great from, we are looking forward to it," said Burke.
North-Yorkshire based Burke will be hoping that four-year old Laurens, who hasn’t won in two starts this season (most recently a well beaten sixth in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot ) can make a return to the winners enclosure. Although the daughter of Siyouni is the clear bookies favourite to add a sixth Group 1 to her CV, Burke was not without some reservations;
"We just had a few tiny little niggles after Ascot but she seems to be over them now. I would like to see it dry out a bit after the recent rain and I would hope that they don’t get any more.. but I am sure she will cope with it and try her best. She has won on all sorts of ground to be honest, it was pretty soft when she won the Sun Chariot at Newmarket in October last year, and then it was very fast in the Matron. We will see how thing go in France with her before making any more plans."
Three year old’s have a strong recent record in this race winning the previous three running’s and with the allowance of 3.5kgs to the younger generation, it is fair to say that there plenty to like about Obligate.
Running in Prince Khalid Abdullah’s famous silks which were so incredibly carried to glory by Enable in yesterday’s epic King George, a lot of eyes will be on unbeaten filly Obligate. The most inexperienced runner in the line-up she is trained in Chantilly by Pascal Bary (who won this race in 2005 with Divine Proportions), the supremely well related daughter of Frankel will make her step up to Group 1 level on just her fourth run.
Last seen when narrowly defeating Pure Zen in the Group 2 ‘Prix de Sandringham’ at Chantilly on French Derby day despite pulling very hard, it is restraining the gigantic filly that could be the difficult task according to Bary’s assistant trainer Mario Baratti.
"Obligate is very well at home and we are looking forward to seeing her out again, but the straight track just complicates things a bit. Without the bend we will have to just let her gallop from the front and see how she does and hope she controls her breathing, because she pulled quite hard the last day," stressed Baratti.
Obligate will have the help of crack pilot Pierre-Charles Boudot who has ridden her to victory on both starts this year and knows this race well having been victorious with Esoterique in 2014. Apart from the concern that she might pull too hard Baratti has been delighted with the filly thus far, and he believes that limits are still very much unknown.
"She has done everything we have asked of her so far, winning the Group 2 last time out in Chantilly, we will just have to see how everything works out but it’s worth a try," he added.
William Haggas is double represented in the lineup by the four-year old pair Beshaayir and Move Swiftly, the latter winning the ‘Duke of Cambridge Stakes’ at Royal Ascot on her latest start and holds firm place claims.
Last years winner With You also features, but things have been become complicated for her as she has not finished closer than third in three subsequent starts, most notably when beaten a long way on her seasonal reappearance at ParisLongchamp.
The second leg of the Darley Two-Year-old’s series, The Group 3 ‘Darley Prix de Cabourg’ sees just five runners, two of which were supplemented earlier on this week.
Winner of this race last year with Comedy, Karl Burke can strike for the second time courtesy of Dubai Station, who was a fine third in the Norfolk, won by subsequent ‘Papin’ (Leg 1) winner A’Ali. The trainer suggested that this return to six furlongs will really suit his colt,
"Dubai Station will love the step back up to 6 furlongs, he was always going to appreciate it. He shouldn’t be too troubled by the ground as long as it doesn’t get very soft, other than that I can see him running very well ”
Charlie Appleby does exceptionally well when travelling with his charges to France, this year alone saddling seven winners from just eighteen runners. Well Of Wisdom is already amongst those seven winners and was seen scoring at ParisLongchamp just two weeks ago. Carrying the ‘blue’ of the race sponsors, Well Of Wisdom was most professional when making all the running to land that seven furlong listed event. James Doyle gets back on board today as the Oasis Dream colt drops back down in trip, but that may well not be enough to stop him scoring the €40,000 first prize.
Godolphin’s other runner in the race Earthlight is two from two in his short career having followed up his smooth debut win by taking a Class 2 at Deauville a few weeks ago, although doing everything right Earthlight still looked a shade green and Andre Fabre’s runner may have to play second fiddle before going on to better things.
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