The highest rated son of Churchill (Ire) won five times for Jean-Claude Rouget and carried the colours of the Aga Khan. He will join the stallion ranks at Haras de Bonneval, where he will stand alongside Siyouni (Fr), Zarak (Fr) and Dariyan (Fr). No fee has been decided on yet. 

Georges Rimaud, manager for the Aga Khan Studs in France, commented, “We are delighted to have Vadeni join the team at Haras de Bonneval and he will come to stud with a very exciting profile. A stakes winner at two, he showed a fantastic turn of foot to win the Prix du Jockey Club by a record five-length margin at three, proved the best of a stellar field in the Eclipse S., and placed in both the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Irish Champion S.

“He showed a great constitution and temperament that enabled him to perform with distinction at the highest level, not just in France, but also in Ireland and the UK.”

Vadeni's Eclipse victory bridged a 62-year gap to the last French-trained winner of the Group 1 contest at Sandown. It was also a first UK winner for the Aga Khan since Harzand (Ire) won the Derby in 2016.

Rimaud added, “He is everything you would want in a racehorse-precocious, fast, sound and consistent, and a dual Group 1 winner. After two busy seasons, he ran a great race to come second in the Arc in testing conditions on his first try at 12 furlongs, and it possibly took more out of him than we thought. We have therefore taken the decision to retire him now and focus on the next chapter ahead of him.

“Like Siyouni, he hails from a prolific Lagardère family that consistently produces good horses, and he is bred on the successful cross of Galileo (Ire) and Monsun (Ger)–so he boasts an excellent pedigree to go with his race record.”

One of six winners from six to race for the winning Monsun mare Vaderana (Fr), Vadeni is a half-brother to the stakes-placed duo of Vadiyann (Fr) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) and Vadsena (Fr) (Makfi {GB}). His granddam is G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Vadawina (Ire) (Unfuwain), who threw three stakes winners including the Group 2 winner Vadamar (Fr) (Dalakhani {Ire}), who was third in the G1 Gran Premio di Milano, and G3 Tyros S. hero The Pentagon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), third in the G1 Racing Post Trophy S.

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Named a TDN Rising Star following an eye-catching 5 1/2-length victory going 10 1/2 furlongs at ParisLongchamp on Apr. 9, the Pascal Bary trainee returned to make it two straight with a victory at that same venue on Apr. 27.

Christophe Soumillon, who was aboard for both of the colt's prior wins, is slated to ride in the French Classic.

“The foal turned out to be very late [Apr. 4] but Pascal Bary has always loved him,” Larrieu told Jour de Galop. “He thought he would run as [a] 2-year-old, then he grew a lot and we gave him time. We didn't consider him for the Classics because we thought, at the time of registration, that it would happen too quickly. But he has developed very well in a short time. It's rare to see a foal able to change so quickly. Feed the Flame is still very immature and he will face the Jockey Club with several questions. We don't know what he has beaten. But the visual impressions [of his prior races] were magnificent. They can be subjective but his [limited body of] work has been excellent. We don't know what it's worth, so his limits are unknown.”

Hoping that history will repeat itself, Larrieu recalled another late foal that took the G1 Prix de Diane in June following only two prior starts.

“And if the Jockey Club becomes a kind of preparatory to the [G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe] as was the case for Treve (Fr) [Motivator (GB)], that's fine with me!”

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“It was our intention to take advantage of his inside draw,” revealed trainer Christopher Head. “We knew his ability on the all-weather, but there was a question mark about the turf. We didn't want to complicate matters, so making the running was the sensible option and he handled everything with aplomb. He has that ability to set a lively pace and still find an extra gear, which is what you expect from a good horse. Evidently, the [June 4 G1] Prix du Jockey Club [at Chantilly] is the target, but he is not a horse to remain two months without a race. As long as he is well, he will have one more run before the French Derby. Which one has not yet been decided and we will discuss his programme with the owner.”

Pedigree Notes:

Big Rock is the first foal of two foals produced by an unraced daughter of G3 Silver Flash S. victrix and G1 Moyglare Stud S. third Harasiya (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), herself a half-sister to five black-type performers headed by G1 Derby and G1 Irish Derby-winning sire Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The February-foaled dark bay, half to a 2-year-old colt by Ten Sovereigns (Ire), is from the family of last term's G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares victrix and G1 Oaks runner-up Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), MG1SW G1 Irish Derby hero Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares winner Seal Of Approval (GB) (Authorized {Ire}).

Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX LA FORCE-G3, €80,000, ParisLongchamp, 4-9, 3yo, c/g, 9fT, 1:49.63, g/s.
1–BIG ROCK (FR), 128, c, 3, by Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire)
1st Dam: Hardiyna (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire)
2nd Dam: Harasiya (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Hazariya (Ire), by Xaar (GB)
1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Yeguada Centurion SLU (FR); T-Christopher Head; J-Aurelien Lemaitre. €40,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-0, €94,650. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Padishakh (Fr), 128, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Penny Lane (Ger), by Lord Of England (Ger). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€130,000 Ylg '21 ARQAUG). O-Nurlan Bizakov; B-Haras d'Etreham, Riviera Equine SARL & Ecurie de Montlahuc (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €16,000.
3–Greenland (Ire), 128, c, 3, Saxon Warrior (Jpn)–Aktoria (Fr), by Canford Cliffs (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (160,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; 300,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-SCEA Marmion & Alain Jathiere (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €12,000.
Margins: 2HF, HD, 1HF. Odds: 3.80, 1.70, 11.00.
Also Ran: Rashford (Fr), Horizon Dore (Fr), Birr Castle (Fr), Zalamo (Fr), Duc De Kent (Fr). Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Out of a half-sister to MGISW Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo) and hailing from the extended family of European sprint champion Elnadim, the Wertheimer Et Frere homebred is listed among the top French sires in 2022 with a 10.74% black-type horses to runners.

Also standing at Haras de Beaumont next season are Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {Fr}) (€12,000 LF) and Stunning Spirit (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) (€3,000LF).

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Deja Vu?

Epsom was hit by heavy rain 12 months ago and the potential is there for it to happen again on Saturday according to Clerk of the Course Andrew Cooper. With 12 millimetres of rain having fallen since Monday, the going was officially good-to-soft, soft in places on Wednesday but the forecast is volatile as the Blue Riband approaches. “It has brightened up and we are heading into what looks like two dry days with temperatures around 20C, and then heaven knows what is going to happen on Saturday,” he said. “On the basis of where we are now with what we think will happen as far as Friday is concerned, I can see us being at or near good ground and maybe just on the slow side in places. Cazoo Derby day has got the potential to be a bit of a deluge, but you wouldn't know. There is a lot of uncertainty with timings, quantities and that sort of thing. But Saturday, certainly, there is a risk of rain.”

Eydon Misses Out

No sooner had Prince Faisal's Eydon (Ire) (Olden Times {GB}) been committed to Saturday's G1 Cazoo Derby was he confirmed a non-runner by Roger Varian having met with a setback. The 2000 Guineas fourth was one of six scratches from Sunday's G1 Prix du Jockey Club on Wednesday, with Epsom the target but his trainer announced late in the afternoon that the homebred will miss all weekend Classic engagements. “Sadly Eydon will miss the Derby at Epsom. He has met with a minor setback which will keep him from running on Saturday,” he tweeted. “While it is of course hugely frustrating to miss a Classic opportunity, we will look forward to the rest of the season with Eydon and he remains a very exciting prospect for his owner, Prince A A Faisal.”

Other high-profile withdrawals from the Chantilly Classic were The Queen's Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), The Aga Khan's Erevann (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Star of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who forms part of Ballydoyle's Derby team.

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Burke said, “He goes to the French Derby. We took him out of the English Derby this week as we felt the French Derby would suit him better.

“Whatever he does this year will be a bonus because he is a big horse, with loads of potential. He finished his race off very well at Sandown last time and we felt that Chantilly would suit him better than the hustle and bustle of Epsom.”

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Voute said, “He'll go on Monday to Epsom and have a little piece of work down the hill and around the turn and into the straight.

“We'll see how he handles the bend and the camber and then the Prince will have a think about what he wants to do after seeing how balanced he is.”

Voute also had an update on Prince Faisal's globetrotting multiple Group 1 winner Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), and he is targeting the G1 Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot. Successful in the G1 Juddmonte International S. in August of 2021, the 2020 Prix du Jockey Club hero was fourth in the G1 QIPCO British Champion S. in the autumn. Defending his Saudi Cup title, the 5-year-old entire faded to last of 14 in Riyadh on Feb. 26.

“I said to the Prince the other day that he'd already won the French Derby and he said 'oh well, I don't mind winning it twice,'” Voute added. “Ascot is where we're heading [with Mishriff]. We're just waiting to see whether we'll be ready for then, but it's pretty much the same agenda as last year and we'll just take it one race at a time.

“I'm not sure I really want to take on Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), but if we're going to be a champion then we've got to.”

Also heading to the Cazoo Derby Gallops Morning on Monday are Eydon's fellow Derby contenders Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) as well as Oaks entrant Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

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“A world champion at three and now an Arc winner at four, I have decided to retire Sottsass after what he has achieved,” said Brant. “He has retired sound and right at the top of his game–this is important to me. I am looking forward to breeding some of my best mares to him. Coolmore purchased 50% of him earlier in the year and he will stand there for 2021.”

Bred by Ecurie des Monceaux in France, the chestnut was knocked down for €340,000 at the 2017 Arqana August Yearling Sale on the bid of Michel Zerolo’s Oceanic Bloodstock for Brant. Put into training with Jean-Claude Rouget, Sottsass broke his maiden at second asking at Clairefontaine and captured the Listed Prix de Suresnes in his second run at three. In only his fifth career start, Sottsass defeated that year’s G1 French Guineas hero Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, setting a new race record last June. The chestnut added a win in the G2 Prix Niel that September, and was a very good third in the 2019 Arc.

Besides his swansong at ParisLongchamp in 2020, Sottsass also captured the G1 Prix Ganay this term and was a close second in the G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron. He retires with a mark of 12-6-1-1 and $3,900,437 in earnings.

“Back in 1971, I was working on a film in Paris and was lucky enough to witness Mill Reef win his Arc,” Brant added. “I think it is the ultimate race to win and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have fulfilled a lifelong dream. Sottsass has an incredible turn of foot as he showed when readily disposing of Persian King in the Prix du Jockey Club. He smashed the race record time and knocked nearly a second off the 1m 2 1/2f track record at Chantilly previously held by dual Arc winner Treve (Fr) (Motivator {GB}). We were concerned that the testing conditions on Sunday might blunt his speed but he overcame them and showed his true greatness.

“Being a half-brother to Sistercharlie who had run second for us in the Prix de Diane, Sottsass was always going to be of interest to us as a yearling and we were delighted when the individual matched up to his pedigree. Being by France’s leading sire Siyouni and out of a daughter of Galileo only added to his appeal. The rest as they say is history as Sistercharlie has gone on to win seven Grade I races in the USA for Chad Brown and Sottsass has proved himself the ultimate champion.

“Jean-Claude Rouget has done a masterful job with Sottsass and it gave me great pleasure to share in his first Arc success.”

Said Rouget, “He’s a good looking horse with a good temperament, a classy horse and goes to stud in the best way after a great win in the Arc. The decision has been made now as they want to protect him for a stallion career and I think it was best not to go to the Breeders’ Cup as the track would have been too sharp for him. He is quite a big horse with a big action. It would have been a risk.”

Added the trainer of the colt’s early career, “I go slowly with my horses. He was promising after he had a bad trip first time out. He won his second race easily. He had a bad race first time out at three and, after he won his listed race easily, he won the Prix du Jockey Club. The Arc was the target this year. It was not easy with COVID-19 to do good planning, but we do it and we did well. I am very happy for him not to run again. He was a very courageous horse.”

The third consecutive group winner and third foal out of Starlet’s Sister, Sottsass follows on the hooves of Eclipse Champion Turf Female Sistercharlie (Ire) (Myboycharlie {Ire}), who counts a GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf laurel amongst her seven Grade I wins and played bridesmaid in the 2017 G1 Prix de Diane. Rounding out the trio of GSWs for Starlet’s Sister is My Sister Nat (Fr) (Acclamation {GB}), a GSW in both France and America, who races for Brant. Sottsass is also a half-brother to the 2020 Arqana Deauville Select Yearling Sale topper, a €2,500,000 filly by Dubawi (Ire) purchased by Oliver St Lawrence, as well as €400,000 Arqana August yearling Radiant Child (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) who is three and a Fastnet Rock (Aus) juvenile colt who went for €700,000 to David Redvers at the same sale in 2019.

Out of GI Del Mar Oaks third Premiere Creation (Fr) (Green Tune), Starlet’s Sister is a full-sister to G3 Prix Cleopatre heroine Leo’s Starlet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and a half-sister to SW and MG1SP Anabaa’s Creation (Ire) (Anabaa). Farther back in the pedigree are champions Noalcoholic (Fr) (Nonoalco) and Leonnatus Anteas (Stormy Atlantic).

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“John Gosden is without any doubt one of the best trainers in the world and just getting the call to ride was already an honour,” Mendizabal said. “He’s a top-class horse and I had the perfect trip. Mr Gosden told me not to break the action of the horse and to give him as much of a fluent trip than I could and that’s exactly what happened. He was perfectly relaxed after taking a little bit of a hold on the first turn and when he found the gap he really exploded. He was perfectly prepared for that and all I had to do was to finish the job. I think he’ll stay further and will have no trouble with a mile and a half. To win another Classic after all these years feels like the first time over again.”

Having been fourth over seven furlongs on debut at Yarmouth and third over a mile at Newbury in the space of 11 days in October, Mishriff bounced out of those encounters to score by 10 lengths over an extended mile on heavy ground at Nottingham in early November. Second to Full Flat (Speightstown) in the Feb. 29 Saudi Derby at Riyadh, he returned to Europe to put the subsequent Listed Fairway S. winner Volkan Star (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in his place with a four-length success in the Newmarket. Close up behind Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and TDN Rising Star Ocean Atlantique (American Pharoah) initially as TDN Rising Star Victor Ludorum was forced to the rear after a tardy start, Mishriff was ideally placed as the pressure increased in early straight.
While Mickael Barzalona was winding up the 2-1 favourite Victor Ludorum on the outside with lengths to make up, Mendizabal was looking for racing room which was denied him at first. Switched to come around The Summit and baulking Pao Alto (Fr) (Intello {Ger}) in the process, he was level with Victor Ludorum 100 metres from the line but while the latter had used up all his gas to get on terms Mishriff had plenty left and settled the result quickly. The winner’s interference to Pao Alto prompted an inquiry, but the result was allowed to stand.

Gosden commented, “He is a lovely horse. The owner-breeder was very keen to go for the Prix du Jockey Club and Mr Mendizabal rode him beautifully after we discussed it this morning. I thought the most impressive part of the race was the last 100 metres. It is my first French Derby, but I’ve messed up a couple before! He has done nothing wrong really. He got left behind in Saudi Arabia, then finished the race strongly behind a horse that had Breeders’ Cup form. I’m fascinated trip-wise, as he got that extended mile and a quarter. Do we stay at that sort of trip, maybe we do. It was a great result.”

Ted Voute, racing manager to owner Prince Faisal, added, “I actually thought he was in a bit of trouble at one stage. It’s probably not his ideal ground, but he really picked up once he got into a good position. He has improved a lot from two to three–funnily enough, so did Make Believe. It’s obviously fantastic for the Prince that Make Believe has now sired a Classic winner for him. The way he finished there today, it looks like a mile and a half wouldn’t be a problem, so the [G1] Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe could be an option.”

The Summit was running another big race for the Henri-Alex Pantall stable and new owners Lily Chan Li Lei and Marc Chan, with this being a second Classic placing having finished in the same spot in the Poulains. “I had doubts about the trip, but with his dam being by Acatenango I thought he might,” his trainer said. “He almost did it, but we have no excuses–he was beaten by a better horse on the day and has run a great race. We’ll see how he comes out of it and decide what to do next.” Godolphin’s Lisa-Jane Graffard said of the real eye-catcher of the race, “Victor Ludorum was outstayed by a good winner, but the race wasn’t run to suit him and it all went wrong at the start. He showed a great turn of foot in the straight before finding Mishriff too strong near the line. He has still run very well and we will regroup before deciding any future plans.”

Mishriff hails from his sire’s first crop and becomes his first group 1 as well as Classic winner. He is currently the last known foal out of the useful Contradict (GB) (Raven’s Pass) who also produced the Listed Prix de Saint-Patrick winner Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and last year’s G3 Craven S. and G3 Supreme S. runner-up Momkin (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}). The second dam Acts of Grace (Bahri) took the G3 Princess Royal S. and is one of four stakes winners out of the G1 Prix de Diane heroine and influential producer Rafha (GB) (Kris {GB}). Her leading performer is the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup-winning leading sire Invincible Spirit (Ire), while she is also responsible for another sire of note in Kodiac (GB) and his Listed Empress S.-winning full-sister Massarra (GB), whose progeny is headed by the Classic-placed Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

Sunday, Chantilly, France
PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB-G1, €900,000, Chantilly, 7-5, 3yo, c/f, 10 1/2fT, 2:04.01, g/s.
1–MISHRIFF (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Make Believe (GB)
1st Dam: Contradict (GB), by Raven’s Pass
2nd Dam: Acts of Grace, by Bahri
3rd Dam: Rafha (GB), by Kris (GB)
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Prince A A Faisal; B-Nawara Stud Company Ltd (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Ioritz Mendizabal. €514,260. Lifetime Record: SW-Eng, 6-3-1-1, €679,493. *1/2 to Orbaan (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), SW-Fr; and Momkin (Ire) (Bated Breath {GB}), MGSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Summit (Fr), 128, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Acola (Fr), by Acatenango (Ger). (€16,000 Ylg ’18 AROCT). O-Marc Chan & Mme Lei Li; B-SARL Jedburgh Stud (FR); T-Henri-Alex Pantall. €205,870.
3–Victor Ludorum (GB), 128, c, 3, Shamardal–Antiquities (GB), by Kaldounevees (Fr). O/B-Godolphin; T-Andre Fabre. €102,870.
Margins: 1 3/4, NK, 1. Odds: 7.50, 21.00, 3.00.
Also Ran: Dawn Intello (Fr), Port Guillaume (Fr), Pao Alto (Fr), Order of Australia (Ire), Fantastic Spirit (Fr), Hurricane Dream (Fr), Ocean Atlantique, Gold Trip (Fr), San Fabrizio (Fr), Chachnak (Fr), Ecrivain (Fr), Fort Myers, Pisanello (Ire). Scratched: Celtic Art (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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In another unexpected turn of events, last year’s winning rider Seamie Heffernan will be at Epsom along with the 2017 hero Padraig Beggy and also Emmet McNamara which could result in a 14-day quarantine for them as they re-enter Ireland. Heffernan has live prospects of a repeat of his red-letter day on Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) 12 months ago on the G3 Hampton Court S. winner Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who will exit from stall six. Beggy, who got up late on the 40-1 outsider Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}), comes in for the ride on the fascinating G1 Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up Vatican City (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and he is ideally drawn in the middle in eight. McNamara is on Saturday’s impressive nine-length Curragh maiden winner Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and he could be the pace angle from stall 12.

English King and Mogul have statistical history against them, with no winner having come from stall two and only three from stall one since 1969. They are Blakeney (GB), Roberto and Oath (Ire) (Fairy King) and the latter came as long ago as 1999. Bare statistics don’t tell the whole story, however. Since 1990, nine horses drawn one or two have been in the frame, with one winning, which was the aforementioned well-backed 13-2 shot Oath in 1999. He was housed next to Dubai Millennium (GB) that day and the fact that the Godolphin megastar finished ninth had nothing to do with his draw. There have been only 11 runners to trade under 10-1 to come out of the first two stalls in that period and it is impossible to make a case that any of them would have won had they been positioned more towards the middle or in the high numbers.

Perhaps the experience of the unhappy trip of Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) from stall one in 2018 has been overplayed. Only fourth as the 4-5 favourite, the apparent wunderkind went on to show that he didn’t truly stay a mile and a half. The only other truly short-priced contender in the last three decades was Telecaster (GB) (New Approach {Ire}), who traded at 5-1 last year coming from stall two and he was tailed off last not because he had that post position but because he refused to settle. In 1998, when there were 15 runners, the 12-1 shot City Honours (Darshaan {GB}) exited from stall one and was beaten just a head by High-Rise (Ire) (High Estate {GB}). In 2009, Masterofthehorse (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) was drawn two and at 16-1 got into the frame just behind Sea the Stars (Ire), so a low draw is by no means disastrous.

What being drawn there does mean is that the horse has to have natural speed to gain an advantageous position heading to the right and then back down to the left. An ability to cruise from the start without over-racing, which Roberto exemplified in 1972 under Lester Piggott. We know that English King has gears, having registered impressive sectionals at Lingfield, and that he has the kind of calm and composed nature which will aid Frankie as he looks for that early pitch.

Kameko will be joined by stablemate Khalifa Sat (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}), who is re-opposed by Juddmonte’s Emissary (GB) (Kingman {GB}) having beaten that half-brother to Workforce (GB) in Goodwood’s Listed Cocked Hat S. June 14. Ahmad Al Shaikh’s bay is drawn 14 and is another likely to be pressing the pace under Tom Marquand who was jocked off English King.

Andrew Balding is aware of the magnitude of the occasion, coming 49 years after father Ian saddled Mill Reef to glory. “Both horses did their last bits of work on Wednesday morning and I’m very happy with both of them,” he said. “As the race draws closer I see more dangers every day but, fingers crossed, everything has gone well in the build-up.”

“There is obviously the stamina doubt over Kameko, but he’s very relaxed and that’s why we are inclined to give it a go,” Balding added of the June 6 Newmarket Classic winner who will be the 13th to attempt the unique double since 1990 and if successful only the third to do so. “There’s a genetic question mark and it will be answered on Saturday. If he was a keen horse and difficult to settle, we would not be attempting this. It’s a combination of mentality and genetic make-up as to how far horses can stay. Any horse that wins the Vertem Futurity, as he did, is considered a potential Derby horse. He stayed the mile well as a 2-year-old and also hit the line strong in the Guineas.”

Of Khalifa Sat, he said, “He had a slight setback in late winter and that certainly held us back a little bit, but he’s made up for lost time and I thought he won really well at Goodwood. He’s in great nick and deserves to take his chance.”

Earlier on Saturday, eight fillies will head postward for the £250,000 G1 Investec Oaks, with Anthony Oppenheimer’s G2 Ribblesdale S. winner Frankly Darling (GB) (Frankel {GB}) leading the home defence from stall three. Ballydoyle’s contingent is again numerically strongest, with a trio headed by the impressive G1 1000 Guineas heroine Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who has drawn in stall five. Stablemates and Ribblesdale place-getters Ennistymon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Passion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) will break from four and one respectively.

Away from the Aidan O’Brien-Gosden rivalry, Roger Varian has captured the imagination by declaring the duo Queen Daenerys (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Gold Wand (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}). Mohamed Khalid Abdulrahim’s Gold Wand beat Enable’s half-sister Portrush (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in a mile-and-a-quarter maiden at Newbury June 11, while Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa’s Queen Daenerys was runner-up in the Listed Pretty Polly S. also over that distance at Newmarket June 7.

“My two are nice fillies and we feel they deserve to take their chance,” their trainer explained. “Gold Wand’s a filly we’ve always thought the world of. She’s probably a touch unfortunate that in this unusual year she’s not had time to run twice before the Oaks. She would have been a filly to go on to an Oaks trial, but we didn’t have time to do that and I didn’t think she was one to have three quick runs. Everything has gone smoothly since she won at Newbury. She’s obviously got to take a big step forward, but I think she’s very talented and I’m hoping that she can overcome her inexperience and show what she’s capable of. She shows a high level of ability at home and we wouldn’t be running her in an Oaks unless we saw that from her. There’s only one Oaks and it’s very exciting for her owner.”

“Queen Daenerys has not done much wrong in her career and I thought she ran a nice Oaks trial in the Pretty Polly, when she needed the run and looked to be crying out for an extra two furlongs,” he added. “She had to dig in there after getting outpaced mid-race and could have easily dropped out, but she did her best work late on. She’s going to get better the further she goes. She’s quite uncomplicated and the drying ground will suit her. I think she will outrun her odds.”

Despite there being no crowds at Epsom in 2020, there is no time to relax for racecourse officials who have to impose a 24-hour exclusion zone around the track. Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper said, “There will be a 24-hour exclusion zone in force and we’ll have a stewarding presence around the perimeter. We’d ask everyone to do us a huge favour and stay away this year.” Cooper also had news about the likely going, adding, “The greatest likelihood is that we’ll be at or near good on Saturday. We’d need really heavy showers to soften it beyond the slow side of good. Friday looks basically dry and on Saturday morning there is the chance of light, patchy rain as a frontal system moves down from the north west.”

Final declarations for Sunday’s equivalent Classics at Chantilly were also announced on Thursday, with Godolphin’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal) ideally drawn in stall one in the 17-runner €900,000 G1 Prix du Jockey Club and the Niarchos Family’s G1 Coronation S. heroine Alpine Star (Ire) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) getting the same post as she heads a field of 11 for the €600,000 G1 Prix de Diane Longines. Michael Tabor’s G1 Irish 1000 Guineas victress Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) sidesteps Epsom to line up in stall four for the 10 1/2-furlong test and Seamie Heffernan will make the trip to France from England to partner her. He also takes the ride on Saturday’s G1 Irish Derby fourth Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the Jockey Club, one of a trio of Coolmore-owned colts in the 10 1/2-furlong Classic. They include the Listed Prix de Suresnes-winning ‘TDN Rising Star’ Ocean Atlantique (American Pharoah), who fared worst of the fancied runners from the draw in stall 14.

One of the Jockey Club’s fairytale stories is Team Valor International and Andre Brakha’s unbeaten  Hurricane Dream (Fr) (Hurricane Cat), who will break from 11 under Jean-Bernard Eyquem as he provides jumps trainer Mikael Mescam with a day to remember. His sole horse in training was impressive when earning his tilt in a course-and-distance conditions event June 14 and Mescam is full of hope. “He has had a good preparation, coming up slowly through the ranks and he hasn’t had a tough race,” he commented. “Having a recent run over 2100 meters at Chantilly was ideal. In the mornings, you can see that he is a good horse, but then we’re always amazed at how impressively he wins. I only have one flat horse and having a runner in this race was highly unlikely! We are fortunate to have him at the stable and the whole team has taken great care of him.”

Jean-Claude Rouget has opted to leave Shadwell’s impressive G1 Prix Saint Alary heroine Tawkeel (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) out of the equation for the Diane and rely solely on the operation’s Raabihah (Sea the Stars {Ire}). The May 14 Listed Prix de la Seine winner is drawn nine, while the same stable’s Listed Prix Finlande runner-up Vadsena (Fr) (Makfi {GB}) has fared worse in 11. Christophe Soumillon has decided to partner Vadsena over the other Aga Khan representative Ebaiyra (Distorted Humor), the June 10 G3 Prix de Royaumont scorer who will be providing Olivier Peslier with another opportunity of a first Diane victory.

Shadwell’s racing manager Angus Gold said, “We entered both Raabihah and Tawkeel in the Prix de Diane Longines, but Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum didn’t want to run them against each other. Raabihah was chosen, as Tawkeel has already won a Group 1 and she should run later in the month in Goodwood’s Nassau S.”

Alain de Royer Dupre is a master of winning this Classic, having done so on six occasions and is bidding to provide The Aga Khan with an eighth renewal. “Ebaiyra won the Prix de Royaumont very nicely and we are running because we think that she is talented,” he said. “We have followed our usual method to bring her to the race, bringing her up in condition just to the race day. The question is whether she is talented enough to be competitive in this race. There are a number of fillies who have never met on the track before, so it is difficult to compare them.”

Chantilly are also expecting good ground on Sunday. “The weather has been very unstable all week,” explained Matthieu Vincent, the racecourse and training centre’s director. “We will make a decision on Friday at 4 p.m. with Marin Le Cour Grandmaison, the track manager, on whether or not to water. The aim is to have good-to-soft ground at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, heading towards good ground for the start of the meeting. Temperatures of 22 to 24c are predicted for Sunday with no rain forecast. The grass has been mowed to 10cm and there will be 10 metres of fresh ground on the inside. The last time that we used this ground with the rail at zero was on the 14th June. We have spent a lot of time cultivating the track during the lockdown, so there is a great grass cover.”

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