Longchamp Tips: Blue Rose Cen napped for fillies' Guineas

• Greenham winner Isaac Shelby targets the 2,000

• Blue Rose Cen worthy favourite for the 1,000

• Heartache Tonight fandied for Prix Saint-Alary

• British and Irish sprinters in action

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Paris is the place to be for top-class racing this Sunday.

Ryan Moore, James Doyle, Oisin Murphy, Tom Marquand, William Buick and Sean Levey all have mounts in one or more of the Group One races.

First up is the French 2,000 - the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains at 14:50.

There are no Group 1 winners in the line-up, so the form horse is the sole Gr2 winner, Levey's mount Isaac Shelby.

That success came over seven furlongs on good to firm in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket last July, after which he finished lame in the Group 1 Dewhurst.

He was back on song on his return, winning the Greenham at Newbury, a significant trial for Sunday's race.

His trainer, Brian Meehan, said: ''I was gutted after the Dewhurst, so disappointed, but he wasn't the finished article. It was only his third run and we had a mishap. The French Guineas has always been the plan.''

The other UK runner is Knight, a Group 3 winner as a two-year-old but tailed off behind Isaac Shelby at Newbury despite starting at shorter odds.

Ryan Moore rides Hans Andersen for Aidan O'Brien and Coolmore. He wouldn't be the best three-year-old in Aidan O'Brien's yard by some stretch but he won a Guineas trial over seven on heavy at Leopardstown.

That form is weak but he won the race comfortably enough.

The highest-rated of the seven-strong home team are American Flag 13/8 on the Sportsbook, Good Guess 14/1 and Breizh Sky 20/1.

The latter two come on from Deauville where they were first and second in the Prix Djebel over seven on soft, with Kubrick 10/1, who has come on for the race, a length back in fourth.

American Flag is the only course and distance winner in the line-up, having caught Marhaba Ya Sanafi in the final furlong of the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau. That's a race that the 2019 and 2020 winners of the 2,000 ran in, so he should not be underestimated.

Nothing jumps off the page as a banker, but I prefer a runner that has raced over a mile to one that hasn't. I suggest American Flag or Marhaba Ya Sanafi if you want an each-way bet at double-figure odds.

Hard to get away from Blue Rose Cen

Blue Rose Cen is a worthy favourite for the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at 15:30.

Christopher Head's runner won her Group 1 over course and distance on heavy. Not many of her rivals have won over the trip and none have won in the highest grade.

She was so dominant in the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day that, of those behind her, only Aidan O'Brien's Never Ending Story is taking her on again.

That's because his filly was a commanding winner of her Guineas trial at Leopardstown on heavy, a new career best.

They say you should never be afraid of one horse and that's pretty much the case here as the race should be between the two of them.

Tom Marquand's mount Swingalong would have an each-way chance were she to stay a mile. Since winning a Group 2 at the York Ebor meeting she has finished in the money in a Group 1 over six and a Guineas trial over seven.

She needs to improve to trouble the market leaders, as does Oisin Murphy's mount Fancy Me.

She has won a Group 3 over a mile on soft but has twice finished behind Showay.

Best each-way bet could be Lindy who was three from three before running into Blue Rose Cen last time.

A similar run should get her third place but Blue Rose Cen looks the bet of the day.

Heartache is each-way value in an open race

Next up is the third Group 1 on the card - the Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary at 16:10.

For three-year-old fillies, its distance of 10 furlongs makes it a perfect prep for the French Oaks on June 18. Karl Burke won both races with Laurens in 2018.

This renewal has two UK runners - David Menuisier's Heartache Tonight 6/1 and the Gosdens' Bridestones 16/1.

Heartache Tonight showed her well-being with a close third to Crown Princesse 7/1 and Elusive Princess 6/1 in the Prix Cleopatre at Saint-Cloud on soft last month - the official trial for this Group 1.

It may be wishful thinking but I can see Heartache Tonight coming out on top given she is on an upward curve.

Bridestones, contrastingly, disappointed in a Guineas trial at Newbury, and the fillies in her slipstream at Yarmouth last autumn are rated in the 70s.

She is William Buick's sole ride at the meeting but she gets the thumbs-down from me.

The sponsors have Boogie Woogie 4/1 running for them. She has contested five maidens, winning the latest over 10 furlongs on heavy at Naas by five lengths.

Her dam, Seventh Heaven, won a Dundalk maiden before her career took off with wins in the Lingfield Oaks trial, the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks. Maybe that's what Aidan O'Brien is hoping for with Boogie Woogie?

Oisin Murphy is on the 16/1 shot Autumn Starlight, for Stephane Wattel. This filly was unbeaten prior to running into my 1,000 Guineas nap, Blue Rose Cen, here last month.

The best French form, though, would be Jannah Rose's win from Sea The Lady in a Group 3 over nine furlongs at Longchamp last month.

That was on good to soft and neither filly has yet to run on turf as soft as forecast this Sunday. If they handle it, and the extra furlong, they should be bang there.

Brostaigh the answer to a tricky sprint

Earlier on the card there's a Group 3 sprint - Prix de Saint-Georges at 12:58.

There are just seven runners with three coming over from England and Ireland.

The best form would be White Lavender's second in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp last autumn. Tom Marquand takes over from Clifford Lee, who rode her that day, and at Bath when she was a well-beaten favourite behind George Boughey's Perdika last month.

Perdika was 28/1 and White Lavender 11/4, so it is possible that White Lavender hasn't trained on. Something to consider if you fancy her back at the scene of her personal best.

I'll go with Joseph O'Brien's Brostaigh, despite her closing out last season with two duck eggs at The Curragh.

She had previously made a good impression when prominent throughout before winning the Group 2 Prix Gros-Chene from Air De Valse at Chantilly. White Lavender was only a length behind her in third after being hampered at the start, so there's really not a lot to choose between the three raiders.

If you want to back a French runner, Vicious Harry has been keeping better company than Tudo Bem, Forza Capitano and Ismael Paint. He appeals more than the trio of handicappers that have to give him the standard 9lb weight-for-age allowance.

Oisin Murphy has picked up two rides on the undercard - both of which are likely to be short in the betting. Pretty Tiger in the Prix d'Argenteuil at 12:23 and Al Riffaa in the Group 1 for Arab horses at 13:33.

Good luck.

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