ParisLongchamp reopens on hot card
Photo scoopyga.com
The ParisLongchamp racecourse reopens for the second year Sunday with three Group races and a Listed race on the card.
The Bois de Boulogne course has been under intensive care since last October, and the treated turf areas should gradually return to their best shape over the spring.
The Prix d'Harcourt (Gr2), a four-year-old and over race over 1m2f on the Grande Piste, brings together seven Group performers after the supplementation of Volfango (Dutch Art), a recent Listed winner at Cagnes. The best rated among the French candidates is without doubt Intellogent (Intello), winner in 2018 of the Prix Jean Prat (Gr1) on the straight turf mile of Deauville. The chestnut owned by Fiona Carmichael makes his return, and he will also face no less than four representatives of Godolphin stable. Two of them are trained in Chantilly by André Fabre, namely Soleil Marin (Kendargent), winner for his return of the Prix Exbury (Gr3) at Saint-Cloud on the same distance, and Nocturnal Fox (Farhh), who finished last season prematurely after winning the Prix Hocquart (Gr2) over 2,400 meters in the spring.
The formidable Charlie Appleby, based in Newmarket, England, presents the two other representatives of the Godolphin team, the 4-year-old Ghaiyyath (Dubawi), highly esteemed and spoiled for this season after winning the Prix du Prince d'Orange (Gr2) on this course and distance, and Lucius Tiberius (Camelot), bought £ 320,000 late last year and gelded after a series of high-level failures.
Czech champion Subway Dancer (Shamardal) completes the field. He is back, too, six months after taking third place in the Gr1 Champion Stakes almost seven lengths behind the great Cracksman.
The Prix La Force (Gr3) and Vanteaux (Gr3) are the first high-level contests for the three-year-olds, males on one side and females on the other, over the hybrid distance of 9 furlongs, on the Moyenne Piste. These two races recently went to Saônois, Gailo Chop or Cloth of Stars for the colts of the Prix La Force and Zagora, Esoterique, Vazira or Gold Luck for the fillies of the Prix Vanteaux ... It is, therefore, compulsory to keep an eye on these potential future classic performers!
Good females aged 4 and over are also taking part in the EBF supported Prix Zarkava (L), including the consistent Shahnaza (Azamour) and high-level staying mare Morgan Le Faye (Shamardal).
The meeting starts with the first start at 2 pm French time.