Longchamp Sunday Preview - 03/10/21

It's difficult to look past the favourite in Sunday's opener with the completely unexposed, two time raced daughter of Frankel, Raclette heading the market.

Trainer Andre Fabre enters three runners for the contest and will be confident that at least one of those three darts can land in the bullseye.

Raclette is 2 from 2 from her opening 2 runs, both upon soft ground, at Deauville and Chantilly.

She has gone off a well backed favourite for both contests and has delivered on those market promises on each occasion with a debut win over 7.5f before subsequently stepping up to the mile last time out to win by a dominant 4 length margin.

She has scope for plenty more progressions 3rd time out, is the least exposed runner in the field and looks set to be suited by conditions once more.

Strong claims.

Despite being more exposed than most in this 2yo field, it's hard to imagine any of this races' rivals improving to match the standards set by Ebro River in the contest.

Hugo Palmers charge has proven his appreciation of the softer conditions thanks to wins upon the ground over 5f and 6f trips; most recently a Group 1 victory in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh (6f) on his penultimate start, winning going away and shaping as though 7f is sure to suit.

He was subsequently stepped up to that trip last time out, this time on slightly livelier good ground, resulting in a keeping on 3rd placed finish, just outpaced by the highly impressive and progressive Native Trail.

He remains open to further improvement at the trip, particularly upon suited rain softened ground, and he sets the standard here which all opposition will need to live up to.

Adayar represents high flying Group 1 specialists Charlie Appleby and William Buick in the feature race of the day, and their 3yo colt was off the mark at the 2nd time of asking with a dominant 9 length victory upon soft ground at Nottingham (8.5f).

He was subsequently saved for this season and made his return in the Group Three Classic Trial at Sandown in April and finished a staying on second behind a nice type for William Haggas.

He was then stepped up in trip for the Listed Derby Trial (11.5f) at Lingfield and finished a fair second behind Third Realm who was better on the day.

With his form falling short this year, he was overlooked to begin with for the Epsom Derby (12f) but the closer the race came the more that punters latched onto him and in the end he went on to win easily by close to five lengths under a superb ride by Adam Kirby, beating the likes of Mojo Star and Hurricane Lane.

From there it was all systems go to the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes where he managed to see of the smart Mishriff and Love to take that Group One.

He sets some of the best form standards over 1m4f this season and the market seems to like him.

An each way alternative in The Arc is Mojo Star who has finished runner-up in 2 of his 3 starts in Group 1 company and remains lightly raced after just 6 prior runs.

Without winning, he showed a decent level of form before heading into the Derby (12f) on just his 3rd career start, however was still a maiden which made him very vulnerable.

On the day however, although not winning the race, he gave a superb run to finish second at odds of 50/1, 4 lengths behind Adayar, who he has plenty scope to finishing much closer to given he was 2 races less experienced at the time, and 3.25 lengths ahead of Hurricane Lane.

Since then he has been seen three more times, heading over to the Curragh for the Irish Derby but never getting the run of the race and off the back of that he was sent to Newbury in a maiden, where the confidence booster worked a trick as he was an easy winner of the race.

Stepped up in trip and saved for the St Leger last time out, he ran another cracker to finish runner-up with Hurricane Lane reversing their previous form over a longer trip.

He now drops back down to 12f and will be sure to appreciate the give in the ground on the day.

There have been much worse 50/1 shots for the Arc and he provides plenty value in this field.

Sibila Spain is lightly raced having only had 5 career runs to date, winning 3, and remains open to plenty more improvement heading into the Group 1 Prix de I'Opera Longines.

Having said this, the amount of improvement needed may not be very much given that she finished on the heels of the leaders, just a mere length off the eventual winners, in both her contested Group 1 contests to date; one of which was over C&D.

Christoper Head's charge returned from a 2 month layoff last time out, dropping into listed company to win more than comfortably here at Longchamp over the extended 10f trip.

The daughter of Frankel looks to have made said progressions during her layoff and once again looks set to be in the mix of things now stepping back up to Group 1 company.

The Prix de I'Abbaye represents a great opportunity for the exciting French horse Suesa to claim her first Group 1 victory for trainer Francois Rohaut.

The daughter of Night Of Thunder went 4 from 4 at Chantilly at the start of her career, including listed and two Group 3 victories all upon rain softened ground.

She actually went off a 9/4 well backed favourite for her entrance into Group 1 company in the Commonwealth Cup, however was below form that day over a testing 6f at Ascot.

She set the story straight next time out however, dropping back down to the minimum trip for the King George at Goodwood, landing the Group 2 by an impressive 3 length margin.

She was then subsequently undone by faster ground last time out at York and she now returns to native France upon much better suited soft conditions.

She holds her closest market rival Glass Slippers on form thanks to having that rival 4.5 lengths back in 3rd at the King George, albeit whilst Glass Slippers needed the run, and she now looks to hold leading claims over this field thanks to that exciting display.

Looks nothing short of a Group 1 horse and she can now assert herself at the highest level.

Kinross has won 2 of his last 3 races for Ralph Beckett, all coming upon rain softened ground.

The 4yo son of Kingman returned from the Middle East in May after a gelding operation to land the Group 3 John Of Gaunt stakes at Haydock under a fine Frankie Dettori ride.

He was subsequently stepped up into a Group 2 at Goodwood in the Lennox Stakes and despite winning again, his run could be further upgraded given he found himself short of room 2f out and the winning distance could have been much greater; Space Blues was also back in 4th that day, a part of the blanket finish.

He was brought to France last time out, upped into a Group 1 and dropped down to 6.5f by which he found himself slightly outpaced by some high level sprinters such as Starman.

The return to 7f looks sure to suit and Frankie Dettori is the eye-catcher back on board for the first time since his Haydock win.