The Prix De l’Abbaye is the final European five-furlong Group One sprint of the season, and this year’s renewal takes place at Chantilly as its usual home of Longchamp is being redeveloped.
We tipped last year’s winner Goldream at 8/1, and he’s back for more.
This season has been less kind to Robert Cowell’s gelding, with no wins and not a lot to shout about from five starts.
He had no answer to Mecca’s Angel in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York and was soundly beaten last time out by JUST GLAMOROUS at Chantilly on trials day.
We confidently backed Mecca’s Angel in the Nunthorpe and she duly romped home, nearly breaking the track record to seal back-to-back successes in the famous race.
Chantilly’s sprint track is fairly flat like York, so there aren’t too many reasons she shouldn’t show her best form in France – where she’s won before – as we now know she’s not a mudlark and good ground actually brings out the best in her.
At 6/4, though, she’s not much of a betting proposition as winners change hands all the time in five-furlong sprints, and Just Glamorous amongst others look to have leading claims.
Just Glamorous beat Marsha and Goldream so easily on trials day that he has to be taken seriously, and aged three he’ll receive weight from most of the field.
He’d previously been running under big weights in handicaps against horses nowhere near good enough for this class, and the fact he wasn’t winning those races might put me off.
However, he looked very good at Chantilly last time out and left the impression of an improving sprinter capable of stepping up to Group One level.
The fact remains an on-song Mecca’s Angel is practically as good as sprinters get, and for that reason it’s hard to oppose her with horses she’s already thrashed this season so an improving three-year-old might be the way to go.
That comment applies to Take Cover, Profitable, Cotai Glory, Goldream and Washington DC, who make up most of her closest rivals in the betting, so it’s just the two-year-old Ardad left to consider.
I just don’t back juveniles in Group One sprints regardless of their weight allowances, and Ardad hardly screams class.
Mecca’s Angel will take all the beating, but Just Glamorous looks the biggest threat on the form of his authoritative defeat of Marsha last time out, and at 8/1 looks the value.
1pt win Just Glamorous @8/1, 16:35 Chantilly, Sunday
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