First Port Of Call

[Wandering Eyes]

As far as the French Classics are concerned, the place to start is with Antonio Caro, Gerard Augustin-Normand and Jean-Claude Rouget, such has been their rampant dominance of the domestic scene in recent times. Sunday’s G1 Qipco Prix du Jockey Club hinges mainly on whether their latest “galactico” Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War) stays this 10 1/2-furlong trip, having done what the stable’s Brametot (Ire) (Rajsaman {Fr}) did 12 months ago when taking the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp May 13. Racing Manager Sylvain Vidal is in the dark in that respect. “We don’t know if he’ll stay the distance, but we were happy with him in the Guineas and he finished strongly,” he said. “It’s so difficult to win the Guineas and the Derby. We did it last year, but to do it again might be asking too much, so we’ll see.”

Any concerns should be lessened by the presence in his pedigree of multiple middle-distance performers including Super Celebre (Fr) (Peintre Celebre), who was runner-up in this when it used to be staged over a mile and a half. Olmedo is also connected to the G1 Irish Derby hero Zagreb (Theatrical {Ire}) and the G1 Prix de Diane heroine Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {GB}) and approaches the task in top order. “So far, everything has gone very well so we’ll see,” Vidal added. “All we know is the horse has been working well at home.”

The field was shrunk further on Saturday when it was announced that Al Shaqab Racing’s Al Adaid (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) would sidestep the race, which is due to be staged on soft ground after 20 millimetres of rain hit Chantilly on Friday night. That news is not likely to be welcomed by Aidan O’Brien, whose main challenger Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) was so at home on a quicker surface when winning the Listed Dee S. at Chester May 10. “He’s in good form. He won nicely in Chester and we’re looking forward to seeing him run over a mile and a quarter again,” the Ballydoyle trainer said. After that stable’s leading man Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) came up short at Epsom on Saturday, the opportunity to provide the Japanese sensation with a first European Derby falls to The Niarchos Family’s Study of Man (Ire). His relation East of the Moon (Private Account) captured the G1 Prix de Diane over this trip and he showed that Miesque-like class when winning the G2 Prix Greffulhe also at this distance at Saint-Cloud May 8.

Study of Man’s trainer Pascal Bary, who also has Jean-Louis Bouchard’s Naturally High (Fr) (Camelot {GB}), who took the 10-furlong Listed Prix de Suresnes at ParisLongchamp Apr. 29, has his sights on the modern-day record tally of six winners set by Alain de Royer Dupre. He is on five, but has yet to win this race after it was remodelled from a mile and a half in 2005. “Study of Man and Naturally High have had a perfect preparation–with each endowed with the quality to shine,” he said. “They are indifferent to the state of the ground as both have won on a heavy track, although they have a preference for good ground. Study of Man is a super colt and one with a very good turn of foot. He hasn’t had any hard races, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage. Naturally High is a very strong colt and has only run one bad race, on his debut. That’s not his fault but mine as his introduction to racing came far too early. He has impressed in both his races this year and, on his last start, he came off the pace. I think he has had a good chance.”

Supporting Acts…

On the same card, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Efaadah (Ire) (Dansili {GB}) bids to build on her return success in the May 6 Listed Prix des Lilas over a mile at ParisLongchamp in the G2 Prix de Sandringham, where she encounters the G1 1000 Guineas fifth Altyn Orda (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB}). The latter’s trainer Roger Varian said, “Altyn Orda ran a super race in the 1000 Guineas and she has trained nicely since. The ground had just tightened up enough for her at Newmarket and she certainly won’t mind the easier underfoot conditions here. She looks to set the form standard based on what the runners have achieved at three, so I hope she can go very close.”

Godolphin’s Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) enjoys a class-drop after finishing third in the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp Apr. 29 in the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, a race his trainer Andre Fabre has won a record nine times. He is joined by fellow “blue” Rare Rhythm (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), the Charlie Appleby-trained winner of the 14-furlong G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy at Meydan Mar. 1, and another Fabre trainee in the May 6 G3 Prix d’Hedouville scorer Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). Godolphin’s Lisa-Jane Graffard commented, “Cloth of Stars confirmed to us that he is a true mile-and-a-half horse in the Prix Ganay, when he galloped out really strongly.” Waldgeist’s half-sister Waldlied (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) takes in the G3 Prix de Royaumont, a race her trainer Fabre has collected 11 times, and she looked a strong stayer at this 12-furlong trip when getting off the mark at Saint-Cloud at the start of last month.

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