James Ferguson’s Prix du Jockey Membership runner-up El Bodegon returns to France in a bid to go one higher within the Grand Prix de Paris at ParisLongchamp on Thursday night.
The Kodiac colt seems to take pleasure in his cross-Channel jaunts, having additionally gained a Group Three at Chantilly and supplied his coach with a primary Group One success within the Criterium de Saint-Cloud final time period.
He disenchanted on his three-year-old debut within the Dante Stakes at York in Could, however bounced again to beat all bar subsequent Eclipse hero Vadeni in final month’s French Derby.
El Bodegon exams the water over a mile and a half for the primary time within the Bastille Day showpiece and Ferguson is anticipating a daring exhibiting.
“We’re going there with kind on his aspect and clearly going again to France the place he has run so nicely up to now,” stated the Newmarket handler.
“There’s some stiff competitors. Although there are solely six runners I believe it is going to be an especially aggressive race, however being a Group One that is what you’d anticipate.
“We’re going there very hopeful of an enormous run.”
Ferguson doesn’t anticipate the step up in journey to be a difficulty for his secure star, whereas he’s hoping the recent climate in Paris doesn’t dry out situations an excessive amount of.
He added: “I am glad to run the horse. They’re at the moment saying the bottom is sweet to tender and I hear they’re nonetheless watering, which is sweet.
“We’re anticipating it to dry up earlier than the race, with the times being so sizzling, however hopefully there is a little bit of give.
“When he ran over a mile and 1 / 4 within the French Derby, he wasn’t stopping and his full-brother Finest Resolution gained a number of Group Ones over a mile and a half, so it should not be an issue.”
El Bodegon is one among two British-trained runners together with Roger Varian’s Eldar Eldarov, who stretched his unbeaten report to 3 with a last-gasp victory within the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot.
Though that Group Two triumph came to visit a mile and three-quarters, Varian is hopeful his cost has what it takes to make his presence felt over a shorter journey.
Piz Badile ridden by Gavin Ryan wins the The P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes
“The Group One choices had been coming again to a mile and a half for the Grand Prix de Paris or going as much as two miles for the Goodwood Cup and taking your three-year-old allowance off the older horses,” the coach informed Sky Sports activities Racing.
“The Goodwood Cup was additionally fairly an interesting choice, having seen him keep so nicely within the Queen’s Vase, however he has solely had three begins and we did not really feel he needed to go two miles on solely his fourth begin.
“We might desire to come back again to a mile and a half and provides the horse the chance to inform us how he can carry out on the highest grade over a mile and a half. That may give us a bit extra readability for the rest of the season.
“Win, lose or draw on Thursday, we might need to say the St Leger is our precedence – the true goal for the autumn for the time being. Whether or not he runs once more earlier than the Leger, we’ll simply need to see what occurs.”
Irish hopes are carried by the Donnacha O’Brien-trained Piz Badile, who was final seen ending better of the the remaining behind runaway winner Westover within the Irish Derby lower than three weeks in the past.
Alan Cooper, racing supervisor for house owners the Niarchos Household, stated: “Donnacha could be very glad together with his horse and it is a very fascinating race, bringing collectively the Irish, English and French kind.
“Piz Badile is a maturing horse and Donnacha and Gavin (Ryan, jockey) have been very proud of how he is been because the Curragh.”
The three French horses seeking to preserve the prize at house for the primary time since 2017 are L’Astronome, who’s three from three this season for Francis-Henri Graffard, Fabrice Chappet’s Prix du Jockey Membership fifth Onesto and the fast-improving Simca Mille from Stephane Wattel’s yard.
