Deauville Racing Tips: Blackbeard a force to be reckoned with

Hot on the heels of York's main meeting of the year come the last two Group 1s of the summer at Deauville.

The first of them hasn't a single French runner. The five that line up for the Darley Prix Morny at 13:33 are trained either in England or by Aidan O'Brien.

My tip, Blackbeard, has been beaten by his market rival Persian Force before - in the Coventry Stakes when they couldn't get to Bradsell, finishing second and fourth two lengths apart.

Since then Persian Force has won the July Stakes at Newmarket, a Group 2, and been beaten seven lengths by Blackbeard's stablemate Little Big Bear in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh. That is the only Group 1 that any in Sunday;s line-up has contested.

Blackbeard was due to run in that but had an allergy. As a consequence we've not seen Ryan Moore's mount since he beat The Antarctic all ends up at Chantilly in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin in mid-July.

The third winner of a Group 2 is The Ridler. That success came over the minimum trip at odds of 50/1 in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot. I wouldn't take much notice of the fact that The Antarctic was back in seventh as five furlongs was too short for the O'Brien colt.

I would discount The Ridler as he has been off two months and may not stay the extra furlong. And I've put a line through Amy Murphy's Manhattan Jungle, as she was readily brushed aside and beaten a length by The Antarctic in a Group 3 over the course and distance of the Prix Morny at the start of this month.

So it should be close between Blackbeard and Persian Force, with narrow preference for the O'Brien colt.

Melbourne Cup winner's European debut

The second Group 1 is the Darley Prix Jean Romanet at 14:50. The stand-out mare is the Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant.

She has 11 Group 1 wins on her CV and is making her European debut with Frankie Dettori in the saddle for the first time. The seven she is up against haven't a single top-level success between them.

Verry Elleegant doesn't pay to follow, though. Since the end of 2020 she has only won three of the 11 races for which she started favourite.

Four of those that oppose her are minor Group winners, the exceptions being the Listed winners Aristia, Burgarita and Sundoro.

The former, the mount of Sean Levey, has the best recent form of the trio having come second to Nashwa in the Nassau Stakes at Goodwood and second to Lilac Road at York in May, a fair way clear of Sir Michael Stoute's Ville De Grace.

Ebaiyra is consistent but lacks a winning turn of foot at this level. It is 15 months since her last Group success and she folded in the straight and beat only two home when second favourite for this race last year.

Rumi and the Irish runner Rosscarbery need to up their game a fair bit to win but could be placed if the race was run to suit them.

Given Dettori's solid record in the race - three recent successes - that's another box that Verry Elleegant has ticked. She is the obvious win bet, while Aristia appeals each-way.

Moore napped to win on Joie De Soir

Ryan Moore is the only English jockey with a mount in the Prix Kergorlay at 15:25, - Coolmore-owned Joie De Soir trained by Andre Fabre.

Her two successes have come in Listed races, the latest being by three and and a half lengths from Goya Senora in the Prix du Carrousel over course and distance.

Prior to that she lost out to her stablemate Love Child at Chantilly, where Control Tower was half a length back in third.

And in May Maxime Guyon was in the saddle when Joie De Soir split Skazino and The Good Man in a tight finish to the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier on soft at Longchamp. All three were running on well at the finish but Skazino, who won this 12 months ago, got first run.

That had not been the case in the Prix de Barbeville over the same course and distance at the start of the month. Skazino never got into that race, The Good Man outstaying Joie De Soir, whom he headed 50 yards out, to win by three parts of a length.

I was tempted to tip The Good Man but his regular jock, Theo Bachelot, is on Road To Arc Morgan Delalande, who takes over, has yet to be placed on the five-year-old.

So I'm banking on Moore to time his challenge right and maintain his unbeaten record on Joie De Soir 3.259/4, with Skazino 3.259/4, the joint-favourite in the Sportsbook, for the Exacta.

Marquand flying over for one ride

The Prix de Pomone at 16:00 overlaps with the Galtres Stakes at York in midweek. Both races are for 12-furlong fillies, and Ed Walker's Glenartney, the 29.028/1 outsider here, was third in the Listed contest at York 12 months ago.

She stumbled at the start of the Lily Langtry at Goodwood, never recovered and finished last behind Sea La Rosa, Tom Marquand's only ride this afternoon.

That is a tip in itself as Tom could just as easily have gone to Naas to ride Perfect News in the Group 3 sprint there.

On a line through Free Wind, the only horse to beat Sea La Rosa this year (in the Lancashire Oaks), you would expect William Haggas' filly to beat Jannah Flower, Love Child and Any Time Soon - the first three home in the Prix Gold River.

Jannah Flower has since come second to runaway York winner Quickthorn at Longchamp, so will be no pushover. Marquand was on Quickthorn that day and, having got the measure of Jannah Flower, knows the runner-up's limitations and should hopefully beat her again.