World Racing

Longchamp Racing Tips: Adelaide River can prove Curragh run no fluke

  • Patrick Weaver
  • Published on
  • Updated on
The Grand Prix de Paris is the feature on Longchamp's evening card
The Oaks winner, Soul Sister, is in action at Longchamp's annual evening meeting on Bastille Day

Patrick Weaver reckons the home team could come in for quite a battering in the Group races on Friday's Longchamp card...

  • Marquand, Moore, Shoemark and Atzeni in action

  • John Gosden saddles Oaks winner, Soul Sister

  • Haggas filly fancied to follow up in Prix de Malleret


Jockeys can't ride at two UK meetings on the same day but there's nothing to stop them riding in two different countries.

Tom Marquand and Ryan Moore have mounts in the Group 1s at Newmarket (15:35) and Longchamp (19:52). Marquand, in fact, has rides in all three Group races at the Paris track.

Longchamp - 19:52 - Back Adelaide River

The feature is the 12-furlong Grand Prix de Paris with Moore on the shorter-priced of the two Aidan O'Brien runners, Adelaide River 5/16.00. Marquand is on his stablemate, Peking Opera 25/126.00.

The pair lined up against each other on their most recent starts - Adelaide River coming second to Auguste Rodin in the Irish Derby, with Peking Opera eight lengths back in fourth.

Moore and Marquand are joined by Kieran Shoemark and Andrea Atzeni who are not at Newmarket in the afternoon.

Shoemark is on the impressive Oaks winner, Soul Sister 11/102.11, which won the Musidora at York prior to Epsom.

Atzeni rides Rubis Vendome 14/115.00, which stayed on better than Silawi 50/151.00 when the pair were the first two home in the Prix du Lys over 12 furlongs at Chantilly.

Feed The Flame 4/15.00 is the best of the French runners, on paper. He finished ahead of Winter Pudding 20/121.00 in the French Derby and had too much class for First Minister 13/27.50 here at Longchamp over a mile and three before that.

So on form, the field can be narrowed down to three: Soul Sister, Adelaide River and Feed The Flame.

Given Adelaide River got to the front both at Epsom and The Curragh, I will put him up each-way. I can not see him finishing out of the first three and, with a filly not having won the Grand Prix de Paris this century, Soul Sister might not be quite the certainty folk think.

Back Adelaide River each-way @ 5/16.00

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Longchamp - 19:12 - Back Crack Of Light

Marquand is the only one of the four British-based jocks with a mount in all three feature races.

His other rides are both for William Haggas, and Crack Of Light is a worthy favourite for the Prix de Malleret at 19:12.

She beat market rivals Iznik and Yorokibi over the same course and distance on her last trip to France. There were no obvious excuses for the third, whose owner Antoine Griezmann supplemented for the race at the start of the week.

The filly that was second to Rue Boissonade in a St-Cloud maiden - Wise Girl - has since come fourth in the French Oaks.

It's hard to make a case for the other two in what is a weak Group 2.

Higgle has not made the first three in the Group 3s she has contested as she lacks a turn of foot. You would have to wear rose-tinted specs to conclude she can win without improving a few pounds. Andraste has been beaten in maidens at Saint-Cloud and Compiegne.

Overall I would be inclined to go with the Haggas filly.

Back Crack Of Light @ 10/111.91

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Longchamp - 20:25 - Back River Of Stars

The two English runners in the Prix Maurice de Nieuil at 20:25 are worth a look. Marquand is on Roberto Escobarr for Haggas. Theo Bachelot has been booked by Ralph Beckett for River Of Stars.

Both are winners over a mile and six, River Of Stars posting a personal best when winning a Group 3 over the trip at York.

She did well to pip Mimikyu, who has since come third in the Lancashire Oaks, and is at the top of her game.

Roberto Escobarr has his moments but is difficult to catch right. He is likely to be prominent from the start, as he is a two-miler, but he faded in the straight last time at York and I'd prefer it if he was coming into this race in form.

Sober and Skazino are both Group 2 winners - Sober having a 3lb penalty for edging out The Good Man at Longchamp last time in a photo.

Palaimon and Gagarin's Moon step up in class after surprising victories in weak races for which they were outsiders.

I will be having a small bet on River Of Stars, as her tenacious qualities at York earned her a place in my tracker.

I am disappointed she starts the day at such short odds given she has yet to be placed in a Group 2, while Skazino and Sober are winners in that grade but, hey-ho, she's on the up.

Back River Of Stars @ 11/43.75

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