American blood in French Derby

An American owner landed the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club in 2019, and an American stallion could produce this year’s winner.

Owner Peter Brant watched Sottsass triumph last summer, and while Brant has no runner in Sunday’s renewal of France’s Derby, Ocean Atlantique, a prime player for trainer Andre Fabre, was sired by American Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Ocean Atlantique was well supported Friday in overseas antepost wagering, but Victor Ludorum figures the Prix du Jockey Club favorite. Fabre trains Victor Ludorum for Godolphin, and after finishing second in his 3-year-old bow, the Prix de Fontainebleau, Victor Ludorum notched his fourth win from five starts going a straight mile at Deauville

in the French 2000 Guineas. A Group 1 winner at 2, Victor Ludorum is by Shamardal out of Antiquities, by stamina source Kaldounevees, and Sunday he’ll try to translate his one-mile talents to 1 5/16 miles around a right-handed turn at Chantilly.

Ocean Atlantique finished second to French Derby contender Pao Alto making his 3-year-old debut in the nine-furlong Prix La Force and stretched to 1 1/4 miles in a listed race May 31 at Deauville, he tallied by five lengths. Neither accomplished Victor Ludorum, who breaks from post 1, nor progressive Ocean Atlantique, who starts from gate 14, drew favorably.

Pao Alto, another colt by American Pharoah, has won three straight since a debut loss and is a plausible player for trainer Christophe Ferland and the Wertheimer Brothers.

And don’t discount longshot Port Guillaume, whom Jean-Claude Rouget, Sottsass’s trainer, has kept at home since running his record to 3 for 3 on May 20 with a sharp conditions-race win over French Derby entrant Gold Ship going the Derby distance at SaintCloud.

The Prix de Diane, the French Oaks, shares the Sunday card at Chantilly and looks at least as strong as the Jockey Club.

At the head of the betting is Alpine Star, who ran brilliantly winning the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot by 4 1/2 lengths over runner-up Sharing, a Breeders’ Cup winner. Alpine Star, trained in Ireland by Jessica Harrington, stretches to 1 5/16 miles, her first trip beyond one mile, but she’s by Sea The Stars and out of a Rahy mare, and a bounce off the Coronation causes more concern than her stamina.

Trainer Aidan O’Brien considered the Oaks at Epsom for Peaceful but already had two serious entrants in that Saturday race and marked her instead for the Diane. Peaceful, by Galileo, won the Irish 2000 Guineas, her lone start at 3, with speed to spare and should stay the trip Sunday.

The pick to win the Diane, however, is Raabihah. This filly, a Shadwell Stables homebred by Sea The Stars, has only a Polytrack maiden win this past winter and a listed stakes victory May 14 on her résumé, but Rouget had her pointed toward the Diane when she won last month at Longchamp. The competition there generally lacked luster, but Raabihah didn’t, cruising to an easy fourlength victory going 1 3/8 miles while leaving the impression there was plenty more fuel in her tank.