Poule d’Essai des Poulains (Group 1)

It’s interesting that Ryan Moore has elected to ride Peace Envoy in preference to Orderofthegarter today in the French 2000 Guineas. Orderofthegarter is a 5/1  shot and will be ridden by Seamie Heffernan while Peace Envoy can be backed at 12/1 with the leading stable jockey on his back.

Orderofthegarther has been a winner in both his runs this season while Peace Envoy was beaten of his seasonal debut at Naas two weeks ago in The Tetrarach Stakes.

Ryan had come up the inside and at the two furlong pole he found himself trapped on the rail with two horses in front of him with another pair on his outside. He’d nowhere to go and could only sit and wait. As they entered the final furlong and they stretched no gap came. To make matters worse, of the two in front of him, the one on the outside began to roll in on the one on the inside causing Pat Smullen to snatch up further impeding any chance Peace Envoy had.

It was just one of those things nowhere to go however they appeared to be plenty to hide. At the moment of the snatch up Moore was about to unleash Peace Envoy and his demeanor in the saddle suggested he had every confidence that his horse could pick up and win. It never happened because of the scrummaging but today the pair remain loyal to each other.

It’s worth noting the colt had a good two year old season and that Moore won the race last year on The Gurkha who went there with a similar profile. Peace Envoy looks over priced, had he won at Naas he’d be less than 5/1.

Recommendation : Peace Envoy 12/1 ew