Racing
Eighteen go to post for exciting Poule d’Essai des Poulains
Eighteen go to post for the 1600m Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, including the best of France, Britain and Ireland.
Despite the race being a happy hunting ground for British and Irish raiders alike, the domestic team have won the last two renewals and look well-placed to defend their record. Best of the French contingent is the Mikel Delzangles trained Ridari, who will be aiming to be the first Group 1 winner in the famous green-and-red silks since the passing of the Aga Khan earlier in the year. A winner as a juvenile, the Churchill colt made a late run to take the traditional trial race, the course and distance Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau in mid-April.
Irish trainer Aidan O'Brien has won the race twice in the last ten years and brings a strong quartet to the race – having only sent one representative to the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last week. His four contenders are headed by Henri Matisse, the mount of Ryan Moore, winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in November at Del Mar. Out of champion racemare Immortal Verse, the colt made a successful return as a three-year-old in the seven-furlong Group 3 Red Rocks Stakes at Leopardstown. He will be joined by fellow Wootton Bassett son Camille Pissarro, defeated on his reappearance in the Listed Gladness Stakes at the Curragh. Bumped in the early stages, the colt is expected to improve for the run and he is proven at the course, having won the seven-furlong Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp in October.
The O'Brien contingent are not Ireland's only chance. Jessica Harrington fields the exciting Hotazhell, who ended a successful juvenile campaign with a surprise victory in the mile Group 1 Futurity Trophy Stakes – the colt's only defeat came against Henri Matisse in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes at the Curragh.
Not to be left out, the British representatives are headed by the Andrew Balding-trained Jonquil, who was not chosen to be Juddmonte's 2000 Guineas hope at Newmarket last week. The son of Lope De Vega was successful in Newbury's traditional Guineas trial, the seven-furlong Group 3 Greenham Stakes and jockey Oisin Murphy will retain the ride. Although less fancied in the market, a minor note is given to Charlie Fellowes' Luther, who will be ridden by Kieran Shoemark. The jockey will be looking for redemption after losing the plum role as John and Thady Gosden's retained rider, following criticism of his second aboard Juddmonte's Field Of Gold in the 2000 Guineas.
Fellowes said: "Obviously, Luther has been handed a very tricky draw in stall sixteen, which is not ideal.
"He is a very straightforward horse, so he has that in his favour, but sixteen of eighteen is not going to be easy for him.
"The ground will be perfect so hopefully he can slot in wherever, but I would have loved a more straightforward draw."
Of the less fancied runners, trainer Jean-Claude Rouget will be looking for his first success in the race since Olmedo in 2018 and has made positive comments about stable representative Tipinso, a Toulouse Listed winner. Whilst the colt does not have the Group 1 profile of his opposition, he represents new sire Pinatubo and appears open to progression.
He said: "I'm confident he can handle the step up to a Group 1. It seems a very open race, but I'm not looking at the opponents. Instead, I'm looking at my own horse, and he's in good form. It can be difficult to find a race for each horse when they reach their three-year-old campaign. When they get to Group level, it's fine, but it can be hard to find suitable intermediate contests."
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