SUN SHINES ON LAURENS
WITH Longchamp’s two-day Arc weekend looming large, it is easy to forget there is a significant Group One this
Saturday at Newmarket.
The Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes is likely to have at least one runner from Ireland and one from France, but the Yorkshire Dales will, in all likelihood, provide the favourite. Laurens, trained by Karl Burke, heads the market at 9-4 with Paddy Power.
Were she to win it would be her fifth Group One success, the latest coming over a mile in the Matron Stakes in Ireland three weeks ago.
She may well have been fortunate to win that as the runner-up, Alpha Centauri, was injured during the race but it was still a great performance. Andre Fabre, who won the 2015 Sun Chariot with Esoterique, has added Wind Chimes to the field.
The daughter of Mastercraftsman was a dominant winner of a Group Three on her penultimate start. She was only narrowly denied by Recoletos in the Prix du Moulin last time out.
Fabre said yesterday: “Wind Chimes has done well since the Moulin. She worked this morning and I was happy with her, so we decided to pay the extra money to supplement her. It was either that or run her in the Prix de l’Opera (at Longchamp) on Sunday, but that would have been a big step up in distance for her.”
Forecast
William Haggas has confirmed he will add his Irish and Yorkshire Oaks winner Sea Of Class to the Arc field tomorrow. After looking at the weather forecast for Paris he said: “It looks as if it is going to be dry from Wednesday. As we’re happy with her, the idea is to run.”
Cracksman’s prospects of running in the Arc are not looking good.
“At the moment I think it’s very firm,” said his owner Anthony Oppenheimer. “He simply can’t act on that.”
Paddy Power’s Arc odds – 5-4 Enable, 4 Sea Of Class, 7 Waldgeist, 8 Cracksman, 10 Kew Gardens, 12 Crystal Ocean, 16 Kitesurf, 20 Capri, Talismanic, 25 Study Of Man, 33 Cloth Of Stars, Defoe, Flag Of Honour, Magical, Neufbosc, Patascoy, 40 Bateel, 50 Clincher, Hunting Horn, Tiberian, 66 Salouen, 100 Nelson, Way To Paris,
150 Louis D’Or. Non Runner No Bet Paddy Power’s Sun Chariot odds – 9-4 Laurens, 7-2 Veracious, 4 Wind Chimes,
9-2 Clemmie, 8 I Can Fly, 10 Billesdon Brook, 16 Teppal, Aljazzi, 20 others.