Chantilly Stages Sunday Highlights

[Wandering Eyes]

With ParisLongchamp shutting up shop earlier than planned, Sunday’s action, which features the G1 Prix Royal-Oak and G1 Criterium International, takes place at Chantilly and there is the customary strong overseas representation. The former features Godolphin’s unbeaten Brundtland (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who bids to make it a fourth successful foray to France while the 2-year-old contest is also dominated by foreign interests with Ballydoyle’s Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the Gosden trainee Kessaar (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) looking formidable threats.

Even if the Sept. 16 G2 Prix Niel and Oct. 6 G2 Prix Chaudenay winner Brundtland fails to deliver, the Royal-Oak could still prove hard for the French to defend with the Sept. 16 G1 Irish St Leger hero Flag of Honour (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) also in attendance. Charlie Appleby said of the former, “Brundtland has done nothing but progress with each race and showed that he is not short of stamina in the Prix Chaudenay. He came out of that race very well and we felt that this was a great opportunity to try and win a Group 1 with him. He gets a 3-year-old weight allowance and should be very competitive.”

The home team’s secret weapon in the 15-furlong “French St Leger” could be Fair Salinia Ltd’s Called To The Bar (Ire) (Henrythenavigator), who beat the domestic stalwart Holdthasigreen (Fr) (Hold That Tiger) and Godolphin’s Morgan Le Faye (GB) (Shamardal) in ParisLongchamp’s G3 Prix Gladiateur over another half furlong last time Sept. 9. Godolphin’s Lisa-Jane Graffard said of the latter, “Morgan Le Faye has produced good staying performances in the Prix Gladiateur and the Prix du Cadran, when she got a little tired at the end. This looks like a tough race on the ratings, but she has very serious place claims and any cut in the ground will help.”

In the Criterium International, Kessaar looks to extend his influence beyond the six-furlong trip over which he captured the G3 Sirenia S. at Kempton Sept. 8 and Newbury’s G2 Mill Reef S. Sept. 22. If he fails to see out the seventh furlong, the filly Hermosa will be there to capitalise as stamina is no issue for her. Third in The Curragh’s G1 Moyglare Stud S. Sept. 16 and runner-up in the G1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket Oct. 12 either side of a win in the G3 Weld Park S. at Naas Sept. 30, she is another of Aidan O’Brien’s that thrives on a busy schedule.

Where Hermosa has abundant experience to call upon, Saeed bin Suroor’s Royal Meeting (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) has just a sole outing to ward off greenness having taken a Yarmouth maiden over this trip Sept. 19. “Royal Meeting is a nice colt who has done very well since winning on debut at Yarmouth and seven furlongs is the right trip for him at the moment,” his trainer commented. “He could be anything in the future and heads to France in good form.”

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