Andre Fabre's appetite for success in the major international prizes shows no signs of abating and Sunday's action at ParisLongchamp offers more culinary delights, with Raclette (GB) (Frankel {GB}) at the heart of the party. Juddmonte's 'TDN Rising Star' has not been seen since winning by four lengths in a mile conditions event at Chantilly in September, but the daughter of Emollient (Empire Maker) was already big news even at that stage. Her re-entry in the G3 Prix de la Grotte sees her matched against Allan Belshaw's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runer-up Times Square (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who chased home Raclette's stablemate Zellie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in that course-and-distance test on Arc day. This is an intoxicating time of year and another who embodies the anything-is-still-possible principle is Infinity Nine Horses' unbeaten G3 Prix Miesque scorer Mangoustine (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) who debuts for the Mikel Delzangles stable.
Gladiators, Ready
Fabre has the ace in the pack in the card's G3 Prix de Fontainebleau in Coolmore's G3 Prix des Chenes scorer Ancient Rome (War Front), who seemed to be progressing with each start in 2021 and almost upstaged Angel Bleu (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the G1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud. Fabrice Chappet tackles him with Jean-Pierre-Joseph Dubois's 'TDN Rising Star' Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who needs to improve on his second in a Polytrack conditions event at Deauville in October but who had previously dazzled on his winning debut at Chantilly.
At Newbury, the 10-furlong Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup British EBF Conditions S. which has served as a Classic staging post in its own right in recent years and was won 12 months ago by Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) sees the return of Godolphin's G3 Zetland S. third Hafit (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) as Charlie Appleby spreads out his Derby hopes.
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