Grey Man (Fr)

Thursday's G3 Prix Des Chenes was robbed of TDN Rising Star Alcantor (Fr) (New Bay {GB}), leaving just a trio for ParisLongchamp's mile contest and a slowly-run affair which saw The Aga Khan's Zabiari (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) prevail. Runner-up in the Listed Criterium du FEE at Deauville last month, the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained 6-5 second favourite followed the G3 Prix Francois Boutin winner Grey Man (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) around before being launched two out. In front soon after, he veered towards the rail inside the last half furlong to...

   Ahead of the weekend's thrillers, Thursday offers the warm-up with the G3 Prix des Chenes and G3 Prix d'Aumale acting as stepping stones for the major 2-year-old contests of the autumn. Fabre's 10 wins in the Chenes and six in the d'Aumale mean that his representation has to be taken seriously and the former, which is restricted to the males of the generation, sees him saddle Baron Edouard De Rothschild's TDN Rising Star Alcantor (Fr) (New Bay {GB}). Taking on Julien Dubois and Jean-Philippe Dubois' G3 Prix Francois Boutin...

Patrice Cottier trainee Grey Man (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}--Top Toss {Ire}, by Linamix {Fr}), successful in two of three prior outings, headed postward with crowd confidence for Sunday's G3 Circus Maximus Prix Francois Boutin at Deauville and returned to the winner's enclosure with a first black-type rosette having dominated late in the seven-furlong test. The 6-5 favourite accepted a tow in second after breaking on the lead and settled into a comfortable rhythm through halfway. Looming large going well approaching the quarter-mile pole, he was beyond recall once wresting the...