Deauville Sunday

3.25 Haras De Fresnay-Le-Buffard Prix Jean Prat (Group 1) 7f

Aidan O’Brien hasn’t been subjected to many big race reverses so far this season, but the domestic defence may prove strong enough to deny him in an intriguing-looking renewal of the Group 1 Haras Fresnay-Le-Buffard Prix Jean Prat over Deauville’s straight seven furlongs tomorrow.

The master of Ballydoyle saddles his Group 1 1000 Guineas heroine, True Love, the only filly in an eight-strong field for this three-year-old event. Interestingly, O’Brien’s solitary previous Jean Prat triumph also came with a filly, Tenebrism, in 2022.

True Love certainly has stronger credentials than Tenebrism did pre-race, as she has posted two excellent performances since that classic success, finishing second in the Irish equivalent and third in the Coronation Stakes, and there is a chance that this drop back in trip will eke further improvement out of the daughter of No Nay Never.

She still may prove unable to cope with potentially the two best French three-year-olds, Rayif and Nighttime.

Rayif landed the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains and was on target for a blockbuster clash with Bow Echo and Gstaad at Royal Ascot until he spiked a temperature a few days beforehand.

Reportedly now back in top form, many may feel that he represents the best chance of a home win. I prefer to make an each-way play with the longer-priced Nighttime, who finished in front of Rayif when runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere last season and whose trainer, Christopher Head, is in much better form now than when this Wootton Bassett colt could manage only sixth in the Poulains two months ago.

Nighttime proved his suitability for seven furlongs with last month’s comfortable Group 3 Prix Paul de Moussac victory.

A second strong Irish challenger is the Fozzy Stack-trained Thesecretadversary, who looked ideally suited to this intermediate distance when giving weight and a neck beating to Take Charge Star (with the rest of a huge field four and a half lengths or more further adrift) in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

This son of St Mark’s Basilica is a classy individual, but has failed to make the frame in three previous tries at the top level. The only British raider in the line-up is Charlie Appleby’s juvenile Group 3 winner Time To Turn, who put up a respectable seasonal debut when runner-up to his highly-rated stablemate, Talk Of New York, in a listed race six weeks ago. He was beaten by five and a half lengths that day and needs to make a big leap forward to get competitive here.

SELECTION: NIGHTTIME

Next best: Rayif

Paris Longchamp Tuesday

7.15 Cygames Grand Prix de Paris (Group 1) 1m 4f

It’s Bastille Day on Tuesday, which means the staging at Longchamp of France’s only evening Group 1 race and the last three-year-old-only showpiece of the season, the mile and a half Cygames Grand Prix de Paris.

Seven colts are set to go to post, including two O’Brien-trained Irish Royal Ascot winners: Aidan O’Brien’s Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes victor, Causeway, plus the Group 2 Queen’s Vase hero, Limestone, trained by Aidan’s son, Joseph.

The two British representatives are the Group 1 Derby runner-up, Maltese Cross, from the William Haggas yard, and Charlie Johnston’s Ancient Egypt, who went down by a neck to Causeway in the King Edward VII and has over 10 lengths to find with Maltese Cross on their Derby running.

The field is likely to be completed by three home hopes: the Group 3 Prix Greffulhe winner and Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club fifth, Alam; the unbeaten Group 3 Prix Hocquart winner, Varandir; and Space Waltz, successful in last month’s Group 3 Prix du Lys.

A sheepskin cheekpiece wearer, Causeway only ever does just enough so he can step up again on his narrow Ascot success and come out on top in the O’Brien family’s private battle. But he may have to settle for second place behind Maltese Cross, who has been given plenty of time to get over his Epsom exertions and will be much better suited by the fast ground in Paris than he was by the rain-affected underfoot conditions, when still finding only Christmas Day too strong in the Derby.

SELECTION: MALTESE CROSS Next best: Causeway