AIDAN O’Brien is preparing a three-pronged attack on Sunday’s Qatar Prix du Jockey Club (3.30) as he bids to capture the French Derby for the third time in six years.

Dazzling Dee Stakes winner Constitution River will have to overcome being drawn in stall 15 of 16 over the extended 10 furlongs at Chantilly. It has generally paid to be drawn low in the €1.5 million prize.

Six of the last nine winners have come from either stall one, two or three, while the last time a double-digit draw won the race came back in 2015 (New Bay from 13). Held-up 25/1 surprise winner Saonois (stall 16) in 2012 is the last horse to win from as wide as this year’s Ballydoyle number-one.

“He’s drawn in 15 of 16 and Chantilly is a very tactical track but that’s how it is,” O’Brien told France Galop on the wide starting position.

“Had he been drawn low, he might have found himself boxed in. It will probably be a little more difficult, perhaps, tactically for Ryan. When the stalls open, he will no doubt have to make a lot of quick decisions about what he is going to do.”

The Coolmore team had appeared to be facing a serious dilemma as to whether they would run last year’s Group 2 Futurity Stakes winner at Epsom or Chantilly. They have landed on trying to replicate the achievements of St Mark’s Basilica (2021) and Camille Pissarro (2025) in France. O’Brien said: “During the final race of his two-year-old season [when winning the Futurity Stakes], he suffered a small crack. It wasn’t serious, but we simply felt that he needed to be given time. That’s why he didn’t run between August and May. We felt Chester was the ideal place to start back, because after that he would have had the option of going either to Epsom or to Chantilly.

“At two, he only raced over seven furlongs. He seemed to stay [the extended 10 furlongs] well at Chester, but that’s a very flat track, with turns all the time.

“Looking ahead, it’s quite possible that he could stay a mile and a half. We’ll find that out later, but we think Sunday is already a sufficient test, a further step for him, to see what he is capable of doing.”

Smart second-string

Last year’s Group 1 Futurity Trophy and Group 2 Beresford Stakes winner Hawk Mountain made a winning comeback in the Group 3 Prix de Guiche over nine furlongs at this track four weeks ago. It was noted that he wore cheekpieces for the first time there, and they have been replaced by first-time blinkers now.

O’Brien explained: “Hawk Mountain has always been aimed at this race. He had a good season last year and we have always had a very high opinion of him. Christophe [Soumillon] was very happy with him last time.

“He said that he still found him very babyish. We had put cheekpieces on him and when he got to the front, he lifted his head and wandered a little. So Christophe advised trying a pair of blinkers, and that is what we are going to do.

“He has a slightly more favourable draw [stall 11] than Constitution River. Christophe will decide what he wants to do. He knows the horse and has ridden him on this track, and we always think that is a big advantage.”

Lordan mount

The Ballydoyle squad is completed by Montreal, set to start from stall eight under this season’s British and Irish 1000 Guineas-winning rider Wayne Lordan. The Sea The Stars colt looked something out of the ordinary when winning a Leopardstown maiden by eight lengths last August but wasn’t seen again until beaten a head in a listed race over 10 furlongs at Chantilly last month. He had been a short-priced favourite for a Leopardstown Group 2 at the Irish Champions Festival when withdrawn due to veterinary advice.

“We were delighted with his run in the listed race,” said O’Brien. “He had run only twice at two. We’re looking forward to seeing him. He’s drawn in eight and Wayne will decide what he should do. He’s straightforward and has already run on the track, which we feel is a help.”

Local hope

Striking Saint-Cloud debut winner Daryzan jumps straight from a newcomers’ maiden into classic company for the all-conquering Francis Graffard-Mickael Barzalona-Aga Khan’s Studs axis, and rates the shortest-priced contender for the home team. He boasts an outstanding pedigree as a half-brother to Arc hero Daryz.

Graffard said: “It is a bold gamble, because it is never easy to take on this kind of competition with very little experience. My role is to assess the horse’s mental and physical potential and to adapt his work so that we can respond to his different characteristics.

“Daryzan should have made his debut earlier in the season, but I went through a period when my horses were a little under the weather, and that delayed his debut. So the fact that he has run only once is also down to circumstances.

“Daryzan really matured all at once after his debut race. There is only one Prix du Jockey Club each year; he has the pedigree to take part in this kind of race, so we are taking our chance. We are fortunate to train in Chantilly, so we have taken him to the course for a gallop over the track.”