French Racing Tips: Big Rock can justify Derby odds of 2/1

• Epictetus Dettori's final French Derby ride

• Irish raider Zarinsk up against Sauterne

• Vadream a solid each-way bet

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Chantilly, 15:05 - Back Big Rock to win @ 2/13.00

The French Derby at 15:05 looks a good deal less open than the big one at Epsom yesterday, for which we can be grateful.

Five of the 11 make some sort of appeal; six - and that includes Feed The Flame 4/15.00 and Ace Impact 13/27.50 - do not.

A logical place to start is with the French 2,000 Guineas. The winner, Marhaba Ya Sanafi, was 26/1 and the fourth, American Flag, started odds-on at 3/5.

That tells you all you need to know about American Flag's form going into the race. He had beaten Marhaba Ya Sanafi by a comfortable two lengths in a Classic trial and his relatively lethargic run back at Longchamp was something of a surprise.

That's by far the best mile form on offer. If you back either Marhaba Ya Sanafi 8/19.00 or American Flag 9/110.00 you are hoping they will stay the extra 500 metres, or 500 yards.

The alternative approach is to back one that has won three times over nine furlongs at Chantilly but not in top company - Big Rock 2/13.00 - or one of the two that ran in the Dante at York, Continuous 13/27.50 or Epictetus 14/115.00.

Continuous ran a career-best at York, finishing alongside Passenger, hot on the heels of The Foxes and White Birch. Frankie Dettori's mount Epictetus was under a length back in fifth but had the benefit of an earlier run at Epsom.

You would think that if ever Dettori's final French Derby mount was to beat Continuous, who hadn't run since September, that would have been the day.

Continuous really ought to come out on top again, but given Epictetus was second to Auguste Rodin in a Gr1 last autumn there is a strong case for backing him each-way.

I normally go with a Group 1 winner in a Group 1 race, but in this instance I am siding with Big Rock.

Why? Well, his success in heavy ground in his Derby trial at Chantilly was pretty comprehensive. Aurelien Lemaitre asked him to make all and he did so, by five lengths with Lemaitre looking round for non-existent dangers.

He was 6/5 favourite so it was no fluke, and you would think Padishakh (fourth), Rajapour (fifth) and Flight Leader (seventh) were highly unlikely to turn the tables, despite the going being good to soft rather than heavy.

Big Rock is up in class and trip, but he loves Chantilly and I reckon he is the one they all have to beat.

Chantilly, 13:08 - No bet

Going through the undercard in chronological order, there are three UK-based runnners in the Prix La Fleche at 13:08.

Dorothy Lawrence (Karl Burke, Clifford Lee), Ziggy's Phoenix (Richard Hannon, Gerald Mosse) and Heed The Call (Archie Watson, Hollie Doyle) - preferred in that order look evenly matched.

Hannon has certainly found a good race for his filly as she doesn't have a penalty for her wins on soft at Chester and Ripon.

Lee's mount, though, has been keeping better company, so it is hard to pick between them.

Flers and Dance Sioux are course and distance winners and preferred to Scar Chope who had Godessa two and a half lengths back when winning a maiden for unraced fillies at Tarbes.

Given The Fixer won his Saint-Cloud maiden by eight lengths, he might well be the answer but I'd sooner watch the race than bet.

Chantilly, 13:43 - Back Simca Mille to win @ 9/10

Simca Mille 9/101.90 is a class apart from his four rivals in the Grand Prix de Chantilly at 13:43.

A winner of a Group 3 over course and distance last June, he went on to finish runner-up to Onesto in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp before winning an Arc trial against decent colts of his own age.

He has most certainly trained on, having finished ahead of Bay Bridge, Vadeni and Place Du Carrousel when second to Iresine over 10 and a half furlongs in the Group 1 Prix Ganay.

Haya Zark and Lastotchka have won Group 3s, so should follow the favourite home ahead of Kertez and My Lyka.

Chantilly, 15:50 - Back Sauterne each-way @ 9/25.50

It's nine against one with the home team having strength in numbers in the Prix de Sandringham at 15:50.

It's the sole Irish challenger, Zarinsk 13/82.63, that is favourite, though.

The Juddmonte-owned filly is very much on the up, winning the Group 3 Cornelscourt Stakes at Leopardstown on her latest start.

Ger Lyons and Colin Keane are hopeful she can go on and contest the top fillies' races and this is a sensible target for her to show if she can take in the top mile races later in the season.

Sauterne would be the best of the home squad having come third, half a length ahead of Kelina, in the Poule d'Essai Des Pouliches - the French 1,000 Guineas.

The pair are 9/25.50, which surprises me. I would never have thought Sauterne would be an each-way price given her Classic form.

Chantilly, 16:25 - No Bet

The Group 3 Prix de Royaumont at 16:25 is a realistic target for fillies, not good enough to contest Friday's Oaks.

Aidan O'Brien runs Boogie Woogie, who ran sixth in the Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at Longchamp last month.

She drops significantly in class and goes up a furlong and a half in trip.

The one English runner is Trust The Stars, up in class and distance after her eight-length third to Running Lion and Sumo Sam in a Newmarket Listed.

The French, though, have won the last 15 runnings of the race, and Engaliwe, who has won her last three, could well extend her winning run.

Chantilly, 17:00 - Back Perdika to win @ 11/43.75

There are two Brits in the six-furlong Listed Prix Marchand d'Or at 17:00.

George Boughey's Perdika comes into the race at the top of her game. She was third to two older fillies in a Listed race at Newmarket, then came second to Karl Burke's White Lavender when dropped back to five for a Group 3 at Longchamp.

This will be her 10th race of the year, but she can win this if running as well as on her last three starts.

Pillow Talk is a Listed winner over five having her first start over six. That would concern me and a better each-way bet would be Vicious Harry, a disappointment when fifth behind Perdika last time but capable of making a race of it on his best two-year-old form.

Chantilly, 17:35 - Back Vadream each-way @ 13/27.50 & Tees Spirit each-way @ 12/113.00

The Prix de Gros-Chene at 17:35 is a Group 2 sprint over five furlongs.

There are five runners from the UK and I fancy Vadream and Tees Spirit to do best of them.

Charlie Fellowes has campaigned Vadream at up to a mile, and she was sixth in the 1,000 Guineas in 2021. She then ran over six and seven furlongs, before winning her first start over five at Newmarket last time.

Her win in the Group 3 Palace House came after a slow start, and it was only in the last 50 yards that she got on top.

A similar effort for the same jockey, Kieran Shoemark, would make her hard to beat.

Adrian Nicholls' five-year-old is a dedicated five-furlong horse, running over the trip in his last 12 races.

After finishing four lengths behind Vadream in the Palace House, Get Ahead (Clive Cox, Richard Kingscote) won over six at Haydock last time. She won a handicap over the minimum trip at Glorious Goodwood last July but it is hard to make a case for her turning the tables on Vadream.

Marshman (Karl Burke, Clifford Lee) and Believing (George Boughey, Mickael Barzalona) are course winners this year, but over longer trips.

Believing won a Group 3 over six last month despite rearing in the stalls. Marshman won the Group 3 Prix Sigy over five and a half in April. Neither has run over the bare minimum so there is a good chance they may be outpaced.

The home team includes Berneuil and Batwan, second and third in the 2021 renewal. Neither comes into the race in form, though, and the other classy Frenchie, Coeur De Pierre, lacks a recent run.