The highlight of Deauville's month-long meeting, Sunday's G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois has welcomed a stronger group in the past and this below-par renewal offers ideal opportunity for Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) to continue the overseas glut of success in France. Highly impressive when overcoming a pace bias to beat the seven-furlong specialist Hey Gaman (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in The Curragh's G2 Minstrel S. over that trip July 20, last year's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero was previously an unlucky fourth in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot June 18.
Romanised trainer's Ken Condon is using Robert Ng's smart veteran Success Days (Ire) (Jeremy) as a pacemaker to ensure the end-to-end gallop his Classic hero needs. “Hopefully there'll be plenty of pace on, as I think it's pretty obvious by now Romanised is at his best when there's a good gallop,” he said. “Both horses seem well and Romanised has been running to a good level all year. He ran a good race in the Lockinge and ran well in Ascot, where he was maybe a bit unlucky. He didn't get the splits when he needed them and he might have finished a little bit closer but for that. He backed that up with a very good performance over a fast-run seven furlongs at The Curragh. He won well in a good time that day and we've been very happy with him since.”
Alexander Tamagni-Bodmer and Regula Vannod's Watch Me (Fr) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) beat the G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Jubiloso (GB) (Shamardal) when causing an upset in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 21, but faces an altogether different test here. Trainer Francis-Henri Graffard commented, “Everything is good and I'm very pleased with the condition of the filly. We have had plenty of time since Ascot. She is taking on the older horses and the colts, so it should be an interesting race.”
There seems little obvious reason why last year's G1 Prix du Jockey Club hero Study of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) should win a race of this nature over the track and trip at which he was a disappointing third in the July 21 G3 Prix Messidor, while Godolphin's Line of Duty (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) needs to bounce back after a ninth in the G1 Epsom Derby at the start of June. The latter, who took the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and G3 Prix de Conde as a 2-year-old, is expected to be more effective back at this trip on rain-softened turf. “Line of Duty has won twice over a mile and hopefully there will be a bit of ease in the ground at Deauville,” trainer Charlie Appleby said. “He didn't stay a mile and a half in the Derby and the ground was too quick for him as well. We have left the cheekpieces on to help him travel and are hoping that he can rekindle his 2-year-old form, which should see him make the places.”
At Hoppegarten, the 129th G1 Longines Grosser Preis Von Baden plays host to a trio of fascinating 4-year-olds in Old Persian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) and French King (GB) (French Fifteen {Fr}). The former holds sway on the basis of his Mar. 30 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic success and has been rested since flopping when seventh in the May 31 G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom. Charlie Appleby is hoping he has him right. “I think his victory in the Dubai Sheema Classic may have taken slightly more out of him that we thought at the time,” he explained. “We gave him a break after the Coronation Cup and, if he brings his A-game to the race, we feel that he will be the one to beat. He is a different horse compared to going into the Coronation Cup–he has been freshened up and looks different class now.”
Communique, who confirmed his love of Newmarket with a game win in the G2 Princess of Wales's S. there last time July 11, was fourth in the Coronation Cup and could be an improved performer in 2019. Charlie Johnston thinks that is the case. “The horse ran to a career best [at Newmarket] and if he can reproduce that effort, he will take a lot of beating,” he said. “We are not going to find a weaker group one at home, so we knew we would have to be prepared to travel. He is fairly versatile regarding ground, but we would rather it be better ground.” French King is on a roll, having annexed the Feb. 23 H H The Amir Trophy, Cologne's G2 Gerling-Preis May 5 and Hamburg's G2 Grosser Hansa Preis June 30.
There are some interesting juvenile contests on the day, with Deauville's supporting card including the seven-furlong Listed Prix Francois Boutin in which Andre Fabre saddles Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith's June 12 Saint-Cloud and July 21 course winner Arapaho (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). At Tipperary, the Listed Coolmore Caravaggio S. over 7 1/2 furlongs sees Ballydoyle's recent winners Harpocrates (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Royal County Down (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) take on a potentially smart pair of maiden winners in Vitalogy (GB) (No Nay Never) from the Joseph O'Brien stable and Justifier (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) who hails from the Ger Lyons yard.
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