Desmond Stoneham

REST OF CHANTILLY

SUNDAY

THE meeting begins with the mile and a half Prix de Royaumont. Andre Fabre is going for his 12th success in this Group 3 contest for middle-distance fillies. He will saddle Kitesurf (Dubawi) for Godolphin and she will again come up against Musawaah who beat her fairly and squarely in the Listed Prix de la Seine at Chantilly over a slightly shorter distance.

Lady Paname and Szolnok were respectively third and fourth and there seems little reason to ignore the form of this race. Nicolas Clement won the Royaumont a year ago and has supplemented Satine.

She won a maiden recently at Saint-Cloud but was beaten by Lady Paname in a newcomers race in April.

A little international spice is added to the Royaumont by the presence of the Charlie Appleby-trained Glittering Jewel. Raced on just two occasions in the Godolphin silks, she is still a maiden but must be estimated by her entourage.

The Grand Prix de Chantilly has attracted just five runners and all are trained in France. Pascal Bary must have a leading chance of landing the Group 2 race which he took for the first time in 2014.

This time Silverwave takes up the challenge and the five-year-old has plenty to recommend him. The winner of last year’s Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, the horse went on to win the Prix Foy over the course and distance. He reappeared in the shorter Prix Ganay last month and was a promising third to Cloth Of Stars. Andre Fabre is going for a 10th Grand Prix with Doha Dream and Talismanic.

The first-named will be making his seasonal debut and finished his three-year-old career with a win in the Group 2 Qatar Prix Chaudenay.

Talismanic is much fitter having already had three racecourse outings this year. He was a listed winner at Maisons-Laffitte before a second in the Prix d’Hedouville.

Carlos Laffon-Parias fields the only filly in the race, Left Hand. She won the Qatar Prix Vermeille after being runner-up to La Cressonniere in the Prix de Diane Longines. Although favourite for the Prix Corrida, she never really showed in the Group 2 contest but tomorrow’s trip is better and fillies are beginning to bloom after recent days of sunshine.

Francis Graffard won the Prix de Sandringham a year ago with the now sadly deceased Volta. He has supplemented Heuristique into the Group 2 mile and she will have just four opponents.

The daughter of Shamardal was staying on well when third to the Irish owned and bred Precieuse in the Abu Dhabi Poule d’Essai des Pouliches at Deauville last month and she was the winner of a listed race at Toulouse as a juvenile.

Made favourite for the Pouliches, Senga did not act on the very soft ground and finished 11th. A race earlier, she won the Prix de la Grotte over the course and distance ahead of La Sardane who takes up the challenge again.

The Freddy Head-trained Gold Luck has interesting form. She comes back to a mile after finishing fifth to Sobetsu (unplaced in the Investec Oaks) in the 10-furlong The Gurkha Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at Deauville. Previously, the filly has accounted for Monroe Bay in the Prix Vanteaux and she has since won the Listed Prix Finlande.

Speed As has won a newcomers race over a mile at Chantilly but on the all-weather. She has since raced correctly in better company.

The past three winners of the Group 2 Prix du Gros-Chene clash again this year. The field of 11 in the five-furlong dash includes Hit The Bid who is trained at the Curragh by Darren Bunyan and will be ridden by Leigh Roche.

This colt is one of the two three-year-olds in the race and the other is the filly Aladdine. She is trained by Freddy Head for his wife Sarah and is well fancied. She made all to win the Group 3 Prix Texanita at Maisons-Laffitte with ease and had previously finished second to Le Brivido who went so close to winning the Abu Dhabi Poule d’Essai des Poulains from the Jockey Club favourite, Brametot.

Hit The Bid ran free in a listed on the all-weather at Dundalk last time but did win a Group 3 contest at the Curragh last year.

The Prix de Saint-Georges is always a good guide to the Gros-Chene. Finsbury Square finished third in the race ahead of Son Cesio and Rangali and he should confirm the order in front of two previous winners of this sprint being much better off with the weights this time.

Under the care of in form William Haggas, Muthmir, the Gros-Chene winner in 2014, won a minor event at Bath when reappearing but did not fire when only 12th in the Palace House Stakes in May. William Muir will saddle Willytheconqueror. The gelding has not won for over a year and is held on Bath form by Muthmir but was a decent third in a listed contest at the Curragh last month.

The Italian challenger Plusquemavie has decent form at home and the German visitor Daring Match also seems to have plenty on his plate.

MAISONS-LAFFITTE

SATURDAY

Eight horses line up for the Prix du Palais-Royal, which is a very domestic event over a straight seven furlongs. Attendu is going for the double and he is back to his best distance. His last victory was in this race a year ago and he has performed well in two contests over a mile this season so should be spot on.

He was behind the much improved Jimmy Two Times in both the Prix Edmond Blanc and the Group 2 Muguet last time out.

Old rival Djiguite was ahead of Attendu in the latter but behind him when they met in March. Inns Of Court is the only three-year-old in the field and Andre Fabre must think a lot of the son of Invincible Spirit as he raced him in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains. The colt finished sixth and comes back to seven furlongs over which he has won his only two previous races.

Both Karar and the German filly Spectre were behind Attendu in the Muguet.

SATURDAY

MAISONS-LAFFITTE

PRIX DU

PALAIS-ROYAL

Selection: INNS OF COURT

Next best: Attendu

SUNDAY - CHANTILLY

PRIX DE ROYAUMONT

Selection: MUSAWAAH

Next best: Kitesurf

PRIX DE

SANDRINGHAM

Selection: SENGA

Next best: Gold Luck

GRAND PRIX DE

CHANTILLY

Selection: LEFT HAND

Next best: Silverwave

PRIX DU

GROS-CHENE

Selection: ALADDINE

Next best: Finsbury Square