After the excitement of yesterdays Eclipse the pattern racing stagecoach moves on to Chantilly for this three year old contest over a mile. Seven go to post and with the exception of one they are on a mission retrieval. The one is the Andre Fabre trained Mutual Trust. Unraced at two, he is unbeaten in three starts as a three-year old and the Juddmonte team will be hoping for some consolation after yesterdays brave effort from Workforce. Fabre looks to be making up for lost time with this one and a smooth Group 3 victory last time indicates the step up to top level was always on the cards.
In the retrieval stakes come two colts whose promise as juveniles hasn’t lived up to those early expectations, yet. Both met last season in the Phoenix Stakes where Strong Suit went off at prohibitive odds of 4/9. They had previously met in the Coventry Stakes where Richard Hannon’s colt had Zoffany 8 L in arrears. At the Curragh the tables were turned with Aidan O’Brien’s colt reversing the Coventry form. Strong Suit was no match for Dream Ahead in the Middle Park on his final start as a two-year old. He was disappointing in the Greenham trailing in last behind Frankel and then returned to Royal Ascot for the Jersey Stakes where he was unconsidered. It didn’t stop him accounting for Codemaster in good style.
Zoffany had gone off favourite for the National Stakes on his final two year old start where he was beaten 5 L. On his seasonal return he bumped into Bewitched at Leopardstown going down 1 1/4L. The performance was enough to encourage the Ballydoyle team to have a crack at the Saint James Palace Stakes where he gave Frankel’s supporters a fright closing to within 3/4L.
Neebras went down 1 1/4L to Strong Suit on his first run and was acquired by Godolphin. He hasn’t much to find with Zoffany on his Saint James Palace run where his fourth place went some way to justifying the Godolphin cheque book policy.
The other three in the race represent French classic form. Glorious Sight was third in the Prix De Diane and Venomous filled the same spot in the Pouile D’Essai Des Poulains with Temps Au Temps behind in fourth.
There not a lot between the visitors and there will be further retrieval stakes for them. Today Andre Fabre may unleash another top class colt to go along with Pour Mio. You just have to have Mutual Trust.