French classics season starts with the Emirates Poules d'Essai
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The Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Gr1) and The Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Gr1) on Sunday at ParisLongchamp, mark the start of the French classic season. Eleven 3yo colts and fourteen 3yo fillies gather to start on the Moyenne Piste (middle course) mile and this first test at the summit will designate the leaders of both sexes over the distance, as the French equivalents of the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas run last weekend at Newmarket in England.
This selection process will continue in the QIPCO Prix du Jockey Club (Gr1), on June 3 over 2,100 metres at Chantilly forn the colts, and on June 17 for the fillies in the Prix de Diane Longines (Gr1) on the same Chantilly scenic course.
The ParisLongchamp turf course has been carefully prepared for the champions to giuve their best on Sunday. Saturday's rain will have softened the ground a bit, which should give everyone the opportunity to show their full potential.
Every year, these Poules stage a high-level international confrontation.
In The Emirates Poulains, with a purse of €600,000 thanks to the support of the United Arab Emirates, the French favorites are Wootton (Wootton Bassett) and Olmedo (Declaration of War). They have just finished in this order after a splendid duel on the same course in the Prix de Fontainebleau (Gr3). Dice Roll (Showcasing), very impressive in Deauville on the 7 furlongs straight of the Prix Djebel (Gr3), is their main opponent. Four colts from the best English and Irish stables will try to put the Gallic selection in check.
In the fillies version, allocated €500,000, four of the fourteen runners are also in training in Great Britain or Ireland, and the coalition of the French girlslooks awesome. The Prix de la Grotte (Gr3) and the Prix Imprudence (Gr3), equivalent for the females of the Fontainebleau and the Djebel mentioned above, went respectively to Musis Amica (Dawn Approach) and Coeur de Beauté (Dabirsim). They will try to confirm at this higher level while having to stand the progress of the fillies they have just beaten. Fior everyone of them, the objective is this Sunday, not the previous skirmishes. Barkaa (Siyouni) for her part chose an alternative preparation by winning sqtylishly the 9 furlongs Prix Vanteaux (Gr3) at ParisLongchamp. Barkaa and Coeur de Beauté have both changed owners after their last victory.