14 June 2018
Photo scoopdyga.com
Nicolas Clément is still seeking a first win in the Prix de Diane Longines (Gr1), and he will undoubtedly be out to snare a place in the first three with Amazing Lips. Still the youngest trainer to annex the Arc de Triomphe, he will be hoping that the cards fall right for him…
Amazing Lips is still a maiden but, on each occasion, the fillies which have beaten her have gone on to better things. What is your take on matters?
Amazing Lips has only raced three times and, on her introduction at two, she ran second to Musis Amica who is very much a leading fancy for the Diane on Sunday. On her three-year-old debut {this year}, she was beaten less than a length by Victorine and the latter has since gone on to dominate in the Prix Melisande (L). On her last start, she was placed in the Prix Cléopâtre (Gr3). She ran a bit in snatches in the latter stages and renews rivalry with the winner, Castellar, on Sunday. The formlines are encouraging but, of course, she will need to have improved. The filly will be ridden by the in-form Stéphane Pasquier who is riding high in the wake of his Qipco Prix du Jockey Club win. She went well in her final piece of work last Sunday and, even if the ground rides on the soft side, it won’t inconvenience her. In her case it is simply a case of avoiding the two extremes of conditions being either too fast or too heavy. You would think that after the rainy spell at the beginning of the week, that the ground will dry out.
On Sunday, the filly will be racing in the colours of a new owner from Japan. What is his strategy going forward?
It’s a bit ambitious tackling the Diane with a filly who is still a maiden. However, the filly will be racing in different colours and it’s the wish of her new owner, Susumu Hayashi, that she should run in the classic. She will be an outsider but, in the event of a top three finish, it will be a huge plus on her CV regarding her breeding prospects. She will almost certainly be exported abroad at the end of the autumn, but before then she could head to Deauville with a view to contesting either the Prix de la Nonette (Gr2) or the Prix Psyché (Gr3). Japanese breeders have been obtaining good results when it has coming to buying fillies trained in France. It’s linked to both the quality of the bloodlines as well as that of the French programme. For over four decades they have been importing the best bloodlines. Currently, and in the case of Deep Impact, they have been exporting their bloodlines abroad, and Australia, Europe and the US have been the destinations of choice.