Alpha Centauri has been the star of the 2018 flat season, landing the Irish 1000 Guineas before breaking the track record in the Coronation Stakes and easily completing her Group One treble in the Falmouth Stakes.
She has no doubt benefited from the hot and dry summer as her back-form suggests she’s very ground dependent, so it raised a few eyebrows when she was aimed at Deauville, France, for her next start.
She’ll come up against the colts this time, but I don’t really think she has anything to prove there, however they usually heavily water French tracks and I would be worried that might take the edge off her.
Reports suggest it’s good ground, but it certainly won’t be the fast ground she relishes, and I’m tempted enough to take her on with the home team.
Intellogent and Cascadian filled the first two places in the Prix Jean Prat and With You won the Prix Rothschild, so all three are proven over course and distance and arrive in good form.
The one with the most progressive profile to my eye is CASCADIAN for Andre Fabre, who has an Arc entry but is being campaigned over a mile for now, with stamina seemingly guaranteed.
Perhaps an unlucky loser behind Intellogent last time out, he shaped really well and was arguably the strongest at the finish as if another couple of furlongs would really suit.
This is over a mile so that’s hardly a plus, but with the juice in the ground it might play out differently.
Fabre thinks he’s improved for the run and that could make him very competitive and 10/1 feels like a nice price to go to war with.
With You has very similar claims and the form of her Prix Rothschild win may be superior to the Prix Jean Prat, while 6/1 seems about right for a bet, so it is a very close call between the two.
Each-way seems wise given Bet365 offer 1/4 odds and three places and it’s hard to see With You not placing, however I’m keen to take Alpha Centauri on with the yin to her yang, so while With You is a similar speedy filly who appreciates good ground, Cascadian is a colt with staying power who’s won on soft.
1pt each-way Cascadian @10/1, 15:20 Deauville, Sunday (1,2,3, 1/4 with Bet365)
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