By Tom Frary
Saint-Cloud stage the key fayre on Sunday, with the G1 Criterium International and G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud offering the juvenile crop a late opportunity to flaunt Classic pretensions. In the 10-furlong Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Ballydoyle look for their first winner since 2010 with the impressive Curragh maiden winner Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) while the Joseph O'Brien-trained compatriot Islandsinthestream (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) will provide clues as to the merit of his G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. conqueror Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). Godolphin's unbeaten Andre Fabre-trained TDN Rising Star Casapueblo (Ire) (Le Havre {Ire}) is also in the mix along with Bernardine and Sean Mulryan's Haynes, Hanson & Clark S. winner Bracken's Laugh (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). His trainer Richard Hughes said, “It's a big ask going into such a race on just your second start, but that's why I ran him in a winner's race at Newbury. He needed to run in a proper race to prove himself and I feel he did that on the day, he made up a two or three lengths on a couple of winners and won well at the line and he proved he goes on the heavy ground.”
“When you spend 200,000gns on a horse you hope you are buying a superstar and I stuck my neck on the line for this fella,” Hughes added. “He's a huge horse and he did a very good breeze back in May when he shouldn't have been able. He's got an abundance of pace and he's bred to stay a minimum of a mile and a half. I feel I have ticked all the boxes other than having only run once.”
In the Criterium International, another TDN Rising Star from the Fabre stable is Baron Edouard De Rothschild's Alcantor (Fr) (New Bay {GB}), who beat the re-opposing Saganti (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) and Havana Cigar (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) in the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon over this mile trip and track last month. Guy Pariente, Thomas Lines and Qatar Racing's G2 Champagne S. runner-up Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) is a key opponent and trainer David Menuisier believes he has a measure of the merit of Alcantor. “It's the form line of the Prix Thomas Bryon at Saint-Cloud, when we finished fourth with Devil's Point and Andre Fabre's horse looks really good,” he said. “We respect the opposition but the horse is really well and I'm counting on him for a big run.”
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