May 15, 2021
Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1)
Poetic Flare winning the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Picture courtesy of Getty Images and Alan Crowhurst.
Poetic Flare will try to do what Finsceal Beo came very close to doing in 2007, winning all three Guineas in England, France and Ireland.
It was the fillies version where Finsceal Beo was denied the feat by Darjina who beat her a short head in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches. She’d won at Newmarket and then went on to win at the Curragh. Like Poetic Flare she was trained by Jim Bolger who will see the attempt to win all three classics across the first three weeks in May as unfinished business.
Can the middle leg be achieved is the question.
Jim has described Poetic Flare as the complete package, a culmination of years of breeding, having bred and trained the dam, Maria Lee, the grand dam, Elida, and the maternal grand-dam Saviour.
This is probably a tougher assignment than Newmarket, there’s slightly more depth to the gravy here than there was at Newmarket two weeks ago.
Aidan O’Brien has sent St Mark’s Basilica, the Dewhurst winner of last year who’ll be ridden by Ioritz Mendizabal. He was a gutsy winner at Newmarket beating Wembley and Thunder Moon turning round the form of the National Stakes where they both got the better of him.
Archie Watson also sends an English raider, Mehmento, an easy dual winner on the all-weather at Southwell who was beaten a neck by Chindit in the Greenham. He bypassed Newmarket in favour if this.
The home team have Sealiway, the 8L winner of the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere last year. He then ran fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf beaten 4¾L however on his comeback run in the Prix de Fontainebleau, the trial for this a month ago here, he was well beaten by Policy Of Truth. Andre Fabre whose won the last two runnings of this with Persian King and Victor Ludurom relies on Parchemin for Godolphin. He lost his unbeaten record in the Fontainebleau when beaten 1½L in fifth.
The winner of the Fontainebleau maybe the best of the French.
Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1)
In the Fillies version, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Aidan O’Brien seems like-minded to Jim Bolger sending his 1000 Guineas winner Mother Earth to Paris. She, as Poetic Flare was in the 2000 Guineas, was a very solid winner. Ridden by Frankie Dettori at Newmarket she’ll have a new pilot in Christophe Sumillion here.
Mother Earth after winning the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket. Picture courtesy of Getty Images and Alan Crowhurst.
Ken Condon’s Miss Amulet also travels from Ireland, bought for buttons she was sold to Doreen Tabor after winning the Lowther Stakes at York last year. Remaining in Ken’s care she was beaten a ½L by Alcohol Free next time out in the Cheveley Park. She then went onto Keenland where she ran a 2¾L third to Aunt Pearl in the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. Finishing a neck in front of her was Mother Earth, she’d come from way off the pace to pass everything but the winner, that bird had flown.
The Irish will have to overcome a home team led by Philomene, trained by Andre Fabre and in the ownership of Godophlin, she’s unbeaten in two outings. A maiden winner here last September and a very easy winner of a trial for this, the Prix Penelope at Saint Cloud. She’ll be supported on track. Andre also runs Sea The Rose, a triple unbeaten juvenile, she’s yet to find her feet this year going down in two runs, last time out beaten only a ½L when finishing fifth in a bunch finish in the Prix de la Grotte, the traditional trial for this.
G1 juvenile form comes in the shape of Tiger Tanaka the winner last year of the Prix Marcel Boussac. Once again she’ll be ridden by her amateur rider Jessica Marcialis for her boyfriend, trainer Charley Rossi. She has questions to answer as she was beaten 6L by Francis-Henri Gaffard’s Sweet Lady on her comeback run at Listed level and then ran disappointingly when only managing sixth in the Prix Vanteaux here.
It won’t be easy, proper tests, both colt and filly will have to step up on their Newmarket runs. It’s unfinished business for Jim, new business for Aidan, but for Poetic Flare, whom we tipped to win at Newmarket, and Mother Earth it could be business as usual, they both bring the best form to Longchamp, they both can justify favoritism.
Recommendations
Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) – Poetic Flare 2/1
Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1) – Mother Earth 5/2
Note: Currently Trading on the PMU : Poetic Flare 5.7 and Mother Earth 4.5
