A stellar cast has assembled for Arc trials day at Longchamp, and the Group-One Prix Du Moulin over seven furlongs looks an excellent renewal.
The mare Esoterique ran a blinder in second behind the peerless Muhaarar in the Prix Maurice De Gheest at Deauville before going one better the following week by winning the seven-furlong Prix Jacque Le Marois at the same track, with Territories, Karakontie and Wild Chief behind. With the overnight rain unlikely to suit, she may be there for the taking today and looks too short at 9/4.
Wild Chief doesn’t look good enough and Territories won’t have wanted the rain so improvement on that run is less likely and 4/1 looks poor value. Karakontie, though, was making his seasonal reappearance and was entitled to need the run. With favourable good to soft conditions and the presumption he’s come on physically, he looks overpriced at 11/1 based on a strong three-year-old campaign that included wins in the Breeders’ Cup Mile and French Guineas over course and distance.
The form of Ervedya’s Commonwealth Cup win was given a timely boost yesterday with Found taking second behind Golden Horn in the Irish Champion Stakes. She ran well in defeat behind the in-form Amazing Maria last time out, but that did subtract from her reputation a little and I think 9/2 is on the short side.
Arod is another who wants it lightning fast, but the same can’t be said of the three-year-old filly Maimara (25/1), who could improve past the lot of them at big odds. She brings good form into the race having cosily won back-to-back races and is proven on soft ground. She’s improved since her defeat by Ervedya in the French Guineas and can go close today.
1pt win Karakontie @11/1, Longchamp 15:45
1pt win Maimara @25/1, Longchamp 15:45