French Racing / Wayne Bailey / 14 July 2009 / Leave a comment

Wayne Bailey takes an early look at the main British and Irish contenders for October's renewal where Fame And Glory heads the early markets...

I was lucky enough to visit Longchamp last October for the Arc meeting and if any readers are thinking of going this year, I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. I've been to Paris a good few times but it was my first time going racing over there so the whole Longchamp experience was new to me.

In the UK and Ireland, we throw money away trying to advertise the sport but from my experience, the French know how to do it right. The entrance fee was a mere €4 and the food and drink facilities were top notch. If we had a similar set up round these parts, I'm sure a lot more people would be enticed through the turnstiles. Everyone complains that Paris is expensive, but Longchamp was great value and I'll definitely try to go more often.

The reason it's so cheap however, is because it's heavily funded by the French racing authorities and all on-course betting is done through the PMU system which is similar to the tote. The authorities take a cut out of the pool and as far as I know, it's 28% which is pretty high - so I guess we don't have it so bad on that front.

As mentioned, the upside is great racing facilities, but I don't like betting unless I know what price I'm getting, so I placed most of my bets on the machine before I left the hotel. It also felt strange to walk around where the betting ring would be and I missed seeing the layers trying to get as much as possible in the satchel. Most of my horses lost anyway so it didn't really matter where I placed my bets!

Whatever you might say about the cheap entrance prices, UK and Irish racecourses have a long way to go in terms of catering - and offering an overpriced tray of chips is not really good enough anymore.

But on to the racing itself where Aidan O'Brien's Fame And Glory heads the market for the 2009 renewal; and while he has obvious claims, a price of [4.5] is far too short for my liking with a couple of months left to go. I jumped ship and backed Sea The Stars in the Epsom Derby, but the weather robbed us the chance of watching both horses go head-to-head in the Irish equivalent later on.

Fame And Glory will take a rest over the summer and I'd guess we'll see him next in the Irish Champion Stakes in September. I'd advise anyone that wants to back him in the Arc to hold off and see how he runs at the Curragh beforehand. If he wins the Irish Champion Stakes, you risk having to accept a lower price for the Arc, but he's not offering outstanding value as it so in my opinion, it's worth holding off for now.

Sea The Stars was withdrawn from some bookmaker Arc markets when John Oxx expressed reservations about his participation, so an ante-post bet at [9.6] on Betfair would be very risky at this stage. Oxx told the press that he'd like to run him three more times this season and the Irish Champion Stakes is a definite target. We'll learn some more if he runs in the King George, but if the ground is right in the Arc and he ends going to Longchamp, I think he can finish ahead of Fame And Glory and he should enjoy the distance. John Oxx is a straight talker so it's worth keeping an eye on his interviews over the next few weeks.

Of the British and Irish challenge, Conduit is the one that interests me most at [18.0] on Betfair. He's taking his time to come into his own but I'd expect him to improve as the year progresses. He came strongly from the back of the field to finish third in the Coral Eclipse, and while he was well beaten by Sea The Stars and Rip Van Winkle, he should come on for the run and it his price looks a little too high - especially if Sea The Stars doesn't run.

Of the French horses, Stacelita was outstanding at Chantilly last month and could well be a major player. Provided there are no hiccups over the summer, she's sure to go off a shorter price on the day so [6.2] could be worth taking with a view to laying off later on for a free bet.

Meanwhile, Beheshtam takes on a rake of Ballydoyle horses at Longchamp this evening a win should see his Arc price of [15.0] trimmed down a little.

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