Desmond Stoneham

IT is an interesting meeting tomorrow at Chantilly where there are three trials for Group 1 races on Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe day (October 1st). Both the Group 3 Prix des Chenes and the Prix d’Aumale have small fields and Charlie Appleby looks likely to have a presence in both. The Chenes is a warm up for the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Appleby’s Stage Magic ran at Deauville and was caught in the last stride in the Listed European Breeders Fund race having previously trotted up at Newbury. The Robyn Brisland-trained Zyzzyva won a maiden at Deauville.

Another winner at the Normandy seaside track was Olmedo from the Jean-Claude Rouget stable. He beat 15 other unraced juveniles impressively. Contortioniste was made favourite for the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg but was only sixth after running too freely. He had previously won two races in a decent style. Diamond Vendome won a maiden at Deauville.

APPLEBY

The d’Aumale is a trial for the Total Prix Marcel Boussac which will have, like the Chenes, just five runners. Appleby has declared Expressiy and Wild Illusion and both look promising. The last named made a winning debut at Yarmouth. Expressiy crushed the favourite by fourth lengths in a similar race at Newmarket.

Chipolata will be making her debut at a major French track and is on a hat-trick after winning two races on the all-weather at Marseille Pont de Vivaux. Efaadah is trained by Freddy Head and was made favourite for a newcomers’ event at Deauville which she took in a canter from Soustraction, who reopposes.

Charlie Hills saddled Jallota to win the Group 3 Prix du Pin a year ago and the gelding is back again. This seven-furlong race is a prep for the Qatar Prix de la Foret and Jallota has not won since his last trip to Chantilly. Last month, the six-year-old was a respectable fourth in the Group 3 Sky Bet City of York Stakes.

The three-year-old African Ride has yet to win at this level but he was a decent third to the top-class Al Wukair in the Prix Djebel and runner-up to the smart Inns Of Court in the Prix de la Porte Maillot. Karar was third to Jallota in this race last year and then a well beaten second to Limato in the Foret. He was also behind Inns Of Court when third in the Prix du Palais-Royal.

Blue Soave has not won for 14 months but has been very consistent in decent races and prefers cut in the ground. The German contender Empire Of The Star won a maiden at Chantilly in May and comes back to seven furlongs.

This leaves the only filly in the race, Dame Du Roi. She had good form last year and won the Group 3 Prix Miesque. Lightly-raced this season, she was not disgraced when eighth to Roly Poly in the Group 1 Prix Rothschild.

Theresa Marnanew must have a fair chance of landing the Group 3 Prix d’Arenberg for two-year-olds with the experienced Rioticism. Her rivals include the English-trained Sound And Silence and Formidable Kitt. Rioticism will be making her eighth racecourse appearance. She has won three times and took a listed race at Vichy last time out from fellow competitor Rimini.

Sound And Silence is back to his best trip over which he captured a listed race at York. Formidable Kitt was fourth to the Darley Prix Morny runner-up Havana Grey at Sandown and just ahead of Rioticism at Ascot.

Mister Picnic holds Over Reacted on Cabourg form and both come back to five furlongs and Arecibo opened his account impressively on soft ground at Maisons-Laffitte but has since run below par.

Recommended

Prix des Chenes

Selection: OLMEDO

Next best: Stage Magic

Prix d’Aumale

Selection: EFAADAH

Next best: Wild Illusion

Prix du Pin

Selection: DAME DU ROI

Next best: Jallota

Prix d’Arenberg

Selection: SOUND AND SILENCE

Next best: Rioticism