Two-year-olds take centre stage at Chantilly on Saturday
The meeting at Chantilly on Saturday 19 September – an OH! Courses day featuring a wide range of entertainment for the public, with free admission and parking – will put the spotlight firmly on the two-year-old generation. Two of the three Group races on the card are reserved for juveniles, alongside a race for unraced colts and fillies.
Great Britain launches an assault on the Prix des Chênes – Tattersalls – Fonds Européen de l’Élevage
The Prix des Chênes – Tattersalls – Fonds Européen de l’Élevage (Group 3) will bring together five colts over 1,600 metres. Having won the race last year with Oceans Four, British trainer Brian Meehan returns this year with Hereward, who remains a maiden after two starts. He made his debut at Deauville this summer, finishing a promising third in the Arqana Series des Poulains.
Fellow British trainer Karl Burke will saddle Rosberg, who is expected to start favourite following his victory in the Critérium du Fonds Européen de l’Élevage (Listed). On the French side, Francis Graffard will be represented by two runners, including Zakkan, third in The Aga Khan Studs Prix François Boutin (Group 3). Trained by André and Lavinia Fabre, Ciceron has not raced since 28 June, when he won a Class 3 contest at Saint-Cloud ahead of San Giorgio, whom he will meet again.
A very European Eclipse…
The up-and-coming sprinters will line up over 1,200 metres in the Prix Eclipse – Tattersalls – Fonds Européen de l’Élevage (Group 3). Only one of the seven contenders has already won at black-type level: Belisa Bay, trained in Spain by Alvaro Soto Loring, who won the Critérium du Béquet – Vente Osarus (Listed) this summer.
Brian Meehan will saddle Scythe, an easy winner on debut at Newbury. Primetime Emmy – trained by Francis Graffard but bred in Australia – was an impressive winner on her first start and will be looking to put behind her her fifth-place finish in the Prix de Cabourg – Fonds Européen de l’Élevage (Group 3).
Pierchic chasing a first Group success
The third Group 3 race on the card, the Prix Bertrand de Tarragon – Fonds Européen de l’Élevage, is open to fillies and mares aged three and over and is run over 1,800 metres.
The most accomplished runner is Gaga Girl, already a Listed winner and a good fourth most recently in the Barrière Prix Quincey (Group 3), having previously run with credit in the Prix Rothschild – Fonds Européen de l’Élevage – World Pool by PMU (Group 1).
Pierchic, an excellent fourth in the Sumbe Prix Jean et Louis Romanet (Group 1) on her latest outing, previously finished second in the Darley Prix Chloé (Group 3) over this course and distance. She would be a deserving winner of her first Group race.