After a successful week at York’s Ebor meet, where fillies where the flavour of the week, we again turn to another fillies’ Group One in France: the nine-furlong Prix Jean Romanet for four-year-olds and up.
The going is soft and eleven have been declared, with last year’s winner, Ribbons, heading the market at 11/4. She ran well last time out in the Pretty Polly at The Curragh, going down a neck to Diamondsandrubies, but that was over ten furlongs and I’m not enamoured by the form. Legatissimo is by far the best horse in that race – evidenced by her routing the winner in the Nassau at Goodwood – yet she didn’t win, and Irish 1000 Guineas winner Pleascach also fired a blank that day before bouncing back to win the Yorkshire Oaks on Thursday. It was an odd result and I’d be cautious of reading it too positively. A glance at her record suggests she acts on good to soft, but less effectively than on a sounder surface. The lack of any good in the going is perhaps a concern, so I’m looking to take her on.
We Are (5/1) beat her by a neck over today’s trip to Group One success on Arc day last year, so she has a little to find there – that was her second Group One success, having landed the Saint-alary Stakes on soft ground as a three-year-old. Freddy Head’s filly has been stepped up in distance since and been beaten by superstars Treve (Corrida) and Cirrus Des Aigles (Prix Ganay) on her last two starts. Now returning to a distance she’s unbeaten at, she’s a player.
The mare Fate finished ahead of her in the Prix Ganay in testing conditions, so I don’t think she should be three times the price at 16/1. She’s very lightly raced for a six-year-old – that was her fourth start – and has Belgian ace Christophe Soumillon on board. Despite her age, then, there’s scope for improvement and I’m very tempted to make a small punt.
We backed Madame Chiang for the King George, but she came up short and looks to be out of form. She does remain unexposed over today’s shorter trip, though, having not raced less than ten furlongs since her successful maiden. She’s sure to appreciate conditions and stay the trip, but 10/1 is questionable value for a horse not known for her speed.
Bawina is stepping up in trip and brings a good record on testing ground. She’s found Amazing Maria too good on her last two starts but earlier this year did beat Esoterique – who emphatically won the Jacque Le Marois last week – to Group Two success at Saint-Cloud. She’s been well backed, but also was last time out, and the 15/2 doesn’t appeal.
It’s about time dual-classic winner Avenir Certain (9/2) returned to form. She flopped in the Arc when well backed and hasn’t sparkled since. Last seen in the Falmouth Stakes chasing home Amazing Maria on quick ground, she only went down a length and, considering the subsequent exploits of the winner and her record suggesting a preference for testing conditions, that was a good performance. The Arc trip may have stretched her but her sire, Le Havre, won the French Derby over 10 furlongs and she herself won the French Oaks over the same trip. She’s also a course and distance winner at Deauville when winning in similar conditions to today, so she has the stamina for this testing nine and everything is set for her to run a big race. Fillies can blossom towards the end of the season – just take Treve last year – and I’m banking on her class to shine through over what looks an under-par renewal.
1pt win Avenir Certain, Darley Prix Jean Romanet, Deauville 15:10 (Paddy Power offers money back as a free bet if second)
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