French Racing Tips

French Racing Tips: Value among the home team as Chaldean seeks more Group 1 success

  • Patrick Weaver
  • Published on
  • Updated on
Chaldean will be strutting his stuff at Deauville this Sunday
The 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean is favourite for Sunday's Prix Jean Prat at Deuville

Patrick Weaver previews the weekend racing on the other side of the Channel. including Deauville's quality-looking card on Sunday...

  • Westover favourite for Saint-Cloud feature

  • Dermot Weld runs promising colt Knight To King

  • Breizh King tipped for Deauville feature


Looking at Sunday's Deauville card, there are a number of English runners.

The seven-furlong Listed at 12:58 - the Prix Roland de Chambure - has cut up badly ensuring Maymay, Daniel Muscutt's mount will be fourth at worst.

She was nearer last than first on her first attempt at seven at Royal Ascot, and will need to improve to beat the three French colts she is up against.

Deauville - 14:50: Back Breizh Sky each-way

There's a good chance the Brits can win the feature Group 1, though.

The line-up for the Prix Jean Prat at 14:50 includes the 2,000 Guineas winner Chaldean 10/111.91 and the Roger Varian-trained Charyn 12/113.00, just a neck behind Chaldean at Royal Ascot where Indestructible 33/134.00 was fifth.

Hi Royal 5/23.50 - the Guineas runner-up at Newmarket - is another taking Chaldean on again. Kevin Ryan's colt then finished third in the Irish 2,000, half a length ahead of Charyn.

Richard Hannon's Shouldvebeenaring 25/126.00 completes the British challenge but Christophe Soumillon will do well to get him placed.

He is best at seven furlongs but this is a strong contest and he looks out of his depth.

The home team are headed by Breizh Sky 16/117.00, third in the French 2,000 after being held up towards the back.

He then made all over seven to take a Group 3 from Good Guess 20/121.00 at Longchamp where the joint-favourite, Belbek 25/126.00 was unlucky in running.

The three fillies all contested Guineas. Aidan O'Brien's Meditate 11/26.50, the mount of Ryan Moore, was second in Ireland. Sauterne 16/117.00 was third at Longchamp; Showay 40/141.00 would have finished a lot closer than seventh had she not been hampered in the last half-mile.

Several of these are longer than I would have expected, due to Chaldean being so short. There's plenty of each-way value, especially with the home team, who all look a few points over-priced.

Back Breizh Sky each-way @ 16/117.00

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Deauville - 16:00: Back Spycatcher

There's an English and an Irish runner in the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis at 16:00.

Karl Burke's Spycatcher clocked such a good time when second to Tiber Flow on the all-weather at Newcastle last time that he has to have a good chance of going one better in the same grade of race.

Sheila Lavery's Torivega was beaten little more than two lengths over course and distance in a Listed last time, so needs a career-best to figure in this far better race.

The three Frenchies to home in on are Coeur De Pierre, who is out of form but smart on his day, and Batwan and Bouttemont, second and fourth in this sprint 12 months ago.

Back Spycatcher @ 3/14.00

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Deauville - 16:48: No bet

There are a couple of British challengers in the Prix Goldikova at 16:48.

The Karl Burke-Clifford Lee combo is represented by the in-form but inconsistent handicapper Quick Change.

Kevin Philippart De Foy runs Lightship, the winner of two all-weather handicaps at Kempton over the winter, before running a career-best at Royal Ascot last time.

She was the 100/1 outsider of the 10 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes runners but belied her odds and beat four home.

The official ratings suggest Quick Change will finish nearer last than first and needs to improve 15lb to make a race of it with Lightship and the home team.

Stranger things have happened, though, and she will be a long price on the PMU - at least 50/1.


Below are Patrick's Saturday selections.

Chantilly - 15:55: Back Tunnes each-way

First up is the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud at 15:55 with race conditions similar to the Coronation Cup at Epsom last month.

Coming five weeks after that race, it is not surprising to see a couple that were in that Group 1 in the line-up.

Westover, the beaten 5/2 favourite, was runner-up to Emily Upjohn. The classy German colt, Tunnes, a 15/2 shot, was 12 lengths back in fourth.

Juddmonte, owners of Westover 8/151.53, have decided to give their four-year-old star the assistance of a pacemaker for the rest of the season. That's Malabu Drive 150/1151.00, a mediocre son of Frankel that likes to go off in front and then gives the imitation of a pricked balloon in the home straight.

The two French runners are of similar ability, yet wide apart in the Sportsbook.

Zagrey, a winner of 10-furlong Listeds at Bordeaux and Chantilly, is 5/23.50. Junko, a winner of a Group 3 at Longchamp last spring but hugely disappointing when last of six in the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan last time out, is 11/112.00.

Zagrey's significantly shorter odds are due to his having finished just a couple of lengths off Westover when they met in the Dubai Sheema Classic on World Cup night in March.

At the odds, Tunnes 10/111.00 has each-way appeal as he is a lot better than his Epsom form. Maybe also back him in a forecast to come second.

Back Tunnes each-way @ 10/111.00

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Chantilly - 17:05: Back Horizon Dore

The Prix Eugene Adam at 17:05 is a more open affair from a betting point of view.

Dermot Weld's impressive Gowran maiden winner Knight To King has been backed into 15/82.88 favourite from 9/4, causing the original 11/5 co-favourites Bold Act 11/43.75 and Horizon Dore 11/43.75 to have eased a little.

As there is give in the ground, I'm going to put up Horizon Dore, an impressive winner of a Listed at Longchamp last time.

He is on the up and there was no shame in getting beaten by Big Rock in the two Derby trials he contested before that.

The winner went on finish second at Chantilly in the Derby itself.

Charlie Appleby's Bold Act comes on from Royal Ascot where he ran past beaten horses to get up for third close home behind Waipiro and Exoplanet.

A winner of four of his eight races - two of them novice races and two handicaps - he is willing enough without having a great turn of foot.

Knight To King takes a big step up in grade but the way he won at Gowran you couldn't say he doesn't deserve his place in this line-up.

Whether he should be the only runner around 2/1 is another matter, given he also has Maniatic to beat.

Andre Fabre's promising colt was second to the subsequent French Derby winner Ace Impact at Chantilly in May. He has since finished a close third in a Group 3 there.

I'm not surprised he is 4/15.00 - 6/1 looked too long on Friday - and Knight To King is going to need to improve a good deal to win.

That's not out of the question but I can see a French one-two.

Back Horizon Dore @ 11/43.75

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