11 May 2019
Photos scoopdyga.com
The first two classics of the French season, the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, both Group 1 races, are run on Sunday at ParisLongchamp. The best 3-year-old are gathered here one the mile trip of the Grande Piste. These two championships are the French versions of the Two Thousand and One Thousand Guineas that took place over the straight Rowley Mile at Newmarket last weekend.
Friday, the runners were confirmed at France Galop. Weather forecast is rainy today Friday and on Saturday but sunny on Sunday. The ground is expected to run soft for the French Guineas.
The Prix de la Grotte (Gr3) winner Castle Lady (Shamardal), however, has been supplemented by Godolphin in the fillies' race. The likely favourite amongst the 10 runners, however, should be Matematica (Rock of Gibraltar), representing the in-form stable of the season Wertheimer & Frère. She was 2nd in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr1) last year on this course and distance. She will try to do as well as Ervedya, who won the "Poule" (which is, actually, an old fashioned French way of saying "the pool of stakes") after finishing second in the Critérium des Pouliches.
In the Poulains, they are twelve. The favourite is likely to be Persian King (Kingman), winner of his fourth consecutive race for his return, getting ready for this classic in the Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr3). He edged Magna Grecia last year, who won Newmarket's Two Thousand Guineas (Gr1) last Saturday. Everything works out well for the Ballymore Thoroughbred colt, bred by the Wildenstein family. However, Anodor (Anodin) will make his comeback after a public gallop and is the only one who has beaten Persian King so far, last year for their common debut. The representative of Jean-Louis Bouchard could be wary of Munitions (War Front) and Graignes (Zoffany), who finished first and second in the Prix Djebel (Gr3), over Maisons-Laffitte's straight 7-furlong trip, an alternative preparation. A stablemate of Matematica at Carlos Laffon-Parias, Shaman (Shamardal) has just won for his return in the Prix La Force (Gr3) over 9 furlongs. He beat Roman Candle, who wnet on to win easily since. Last year, Shaman finished fifth in the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (Gr1) behind, among others, Anodor, but he has won three times since, and twice this year ...
The sprint of the Prix de Saint-Georges (Gr3) five-furlong dash and the European Cup of Arab Horses - President of the United Arab Emirates Cup (Gr1-PA) are the other major events on the card. Start of the first race at 2pm.