Back At Longchamp, Poules' Full Of Promise

Winter is still biting in Europe, but it's easy to believe that spring is somewhere around the corner when the entries for the French Classics are published. The first ones, the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, the equivalents of the 2000 and 1000 Guineas in Great Britain, are always terrific races and they will have particular appeal this year on their return to their traditional home at Longchamp.

A further aspect of both races is that they have often given a boost to the nascent careers of young stallions. Most recently, Rajsaman (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}) was thrust into the spotlight last year as one of France's most interesting young sires when his first-crop son Brametot (Ire) won the Poule d'Essai des Poulains before following up in the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club. The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches had previously done a similar favour for the now-proven stallions Le Havre (Ire) (Noverre) and Siyouni (Fr) (Pivotal {GB}). Each received similar publicity at the same crucial stage, courtesy respectively of 2014 heroine Avenir Certain (Fr) and 2015 winner Ervedya (Fr). Le Havre, of course, came up with the winner of the race again two years later when La Cressonniere (Fr) emulated Avenir Certain in initiating the same Poule d'Essai des Pouliches/Prix de Diane double. Another good sire to have received a timely boost was the 2010 G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois winner Makfi (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), whose first crop contained the 2015 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Make Believe (GB).

The greatest decade for the Poule d'Essai des Poulains came in the 10 years beginning 1968 when the race's winners included the subsequent top-class stallions Zeddaan (GB) (Grey Sovereign {GB}), Caro (Ire) (Fortino {Fr}), Riverman (Never Bend), Kalamoun (GB) (Zeddaan {GB}), Green Dancer (Nijinsky {Can}), Blushing Groom (Fr) (Red God) and Irish River (Fr) (Riverman). Are we currently in a similarly golden spell? Only time will tell. The Coolmore team obviously hopes that we are, with the unproven sires on the Coolmore roster including the 2016 winner The Gurkha (Ire) Galileo {Ire}). The team looks keen to make a serious challenge for the race this year with 16 Ballydoyle inmates entered including last year's Grade/Group 1 winners U S Navy Flag (War Front), Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy) and Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) as well as the usual swag of high-quality Galileo colts, possibly headed by G2 Superlative S. winner Gustav Klimt (Ire). The team will no doubt also be keeping a paternal eye on the Harry Dunlop-trained Fighting Irish (Ire), who could be bidding to give his 2000 Guineas and Derby-winning sire Camelot (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) a first-crop Classic victory. The bay colt has already done plenty to advertise Camelot's claims, having taken the G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte last October.

While Fighting Irish was the star of Camelot's first batch of 2-year-olds last year, he was not the only colt who showed enough ability to merit a Poule d'Essai des Poulains entry: also engaged is his paternal half-brother Msayyan (Ire) whom John Gosden saddled to land an 8 1/2-furlong maiden race at Nottingham last autumn, just as he had done with the mighty Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) three years previously.

Another Classic winner with a first-crop entrant in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains is Style Vendome (Fr) (Anabaa), winner of the race in 2013. He is responsible for Al Mashrab (Ire), twice a winner in the Al Shaqab silks last year. French Classic form of 2013 is also represented in the sires' ranks by Intello (Ger) (Galileo {Ire}), successful in that year's Prix du Jockey-Club. He has two sons entered in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains: the stakes-placed Deauville winner Louis D'Or (Ire) and Intellogent (Ire), a winner at Saint-Cloud last October.

The other stallions with a pair of first-crop 3-year-olds engaged in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains are Maxios (GB) (Monsun {Ger}) and Declaration Of War (War Front). The former has the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere fourth Woodmax (Ger) and the Aga Khan's Parabak (Fr) among the entrants; the latter has the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere runner-up Olmedo (Fr) and the unraced Ballydoyle inmate North Face (Ire) on the list.

Other entrants in the race who could be bidding to give their sire a first-crop Classic victory include the unbeaten triple winner Snazzy Jazzy (Ire) (Red Jazz), last summer's Deauville winner Epic Adventure (Fr) (Shamalgan {Fr}), El Patron (Fr) (Penny's Picnic {Fr}) and Nice Piorno (Fr) (George Vancouver). Also in this category is the maiden Moral Gagnant (Ger) (Dabirsim {Fr}). Unraced as a juvenile, this colt recently finished second on debut at Chantilly and is in the care of the same trainer, Christophe Ferland, who prepared his sire to take the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in 2011.

Another Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner to feature among the sires of the entrants is Wootton Bassett (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), winner of France's premier juvenile race in 2010. His stud career got off to a sparkling start when his first crop contained Almanzor (Fr), winner of Group 1 races in three countries in 2016: the Prix du Jockey-Club at Chantilly, Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown and Champion S. at Ascot. He now looks potentially to have another star to represent him as the unbeaten listed winner Wootton (Fr) looked very good last year. The Godolphin representative ranks as one of Wootton Bassett's two Poule d'Essai des Poulains entrants, along with the listed-placed dual winner Patascoy (Fr).

Five stallions who have first-crop sons entered in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains are also represented in the list of Poule d'Essai des Pouliches entrants. Aidan O'Brien's squad includes the eye-catchingly well-bred Athena (Ire) (Camelot {Ire}), whose sire clearly has a chance of striking gold in both races. Athena is a daughter of Cherry Hinton (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}), a Group 3-placed half-sister to Galileo and Sea The Stars who has already bred two pattern winners including 2014 G1 Irish Oaks victrix Bracelet (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Camelot's other entrant in the race is the Richard Hannon-trained Vitamin (Ire), last seen when winning impressively at Newmarket last August.

Dabirsim, Intello and Style Vendome also have appealing bunches of fillies entered in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Dabirsim has some particularly interesting daughters engaged in the race, headed by last summer's Royal Ascot heroine Different League (Fr), who is now trained by Aidan O'Brien after being sold out of Matthieu Palussiere's stable for 1,500,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale. The stallion's strong squad also includes last-start Prix Zeddaan victrix Couer De Beaute (Fr) and Chantilly winner High Dream Milena (Fr). Intello, himself a Wertheimer homebred, has two interesting Wertheimer-bred daughters in the race: Prix Saraca winner Sonjeu (Fr) and the unraced Gravitas (Fr). Style Vendome also has a brace of entrants in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, arguably headed by the dual winner Princess Gold (Fr). His other potential representative Style Presa (Fr), who broke her maiden at Chantilly last month, could, though, have huge scope for improvement, being a half-sister to triple G1 Sun Chariot S. heroine Sahpresa (Sahm).

Two very promising fillies who could each give their sire a chance of early glory are Narella (Ire) (Reliable Man {GB}) and Worship (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}). The former's victory in the G3 Steinhoff Zukunftsrennen at Baden-Baden last September got the stakes ball rolling in great style for her Prix du Jockey-Club-winning sire; while Worship looked very promising when making a stylish winning debut at Kempton before Christmas. Other fillies who have been given a chance to credit their sire with a first-crop Classic triumph are the twice-raced Plantlove (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) and the unraced Monneypenny's (Fr) (Penny's Picnic {Fr}). The fact that Jean-Claude Rouget has given the latter three Group 1 entries even though she has yet to make her debut is interesting. She thus takes her place in an eye-catching bunch of unraced entrants for the race, a group which includes the blue-bloods Zarkamiya (Fr) and Park Bloom (Ire). These two fillies are blessed with mouth-watering pedigrees. The former is by Frankel out of the great Zarkava (Ire) (Zamindar) and the latter is by Galileo out of Alluring Park (Green Desert) and is thus a full-sister to 2012 G1 Oaks heroine Was (Ire) and a very close relation to 2008 Derby winner New Approach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).