Group One action on the channel today with ParisLongchamp and Sha Tin staging quality racing as well as competitive action from Southwell, live on Sky Sports Racing…
3.25 ParisLongchamp – Sosie and Map Of Stars headline Group One sextet
Andre Fabre has won the Prix Ganay, Europe’s first Group One of the season, on a record seven occasions and Sosie looks to have strong claims of making it eight.
A son of Sea the Stars, he enjoyed a splendid campaign winning the Group One Grand Prix de Paris before finishing fourth when sent off as favourite for the Arc. He may need this reappearance but should be in the mix under Maxime Guyon.
Map Of Stars has suffered defeat just once in his six-race career and Francis-Henri Graffard’s four-year-old deserves a crack at the top table. He will have race fitness in his favour having scored twice already this spring and could prove hard to beat under Mikael Barzalona, with James Doyle sidelined.
Dual Group One-winner Al Riffa warrants respect having finished a close fourth in this last season, while Royal Rhyme would have claims on his Champion Stakes third.
6.45 Southwell – Cesarewitch second Manxman features for Crisford team
Simon and Ed Crisford saddle last year’s Cesarewitch second Manxman in this valuable Bloomfields Horseboxes Handicap at Southwell.
Rated just 46 in the summer of 2023, he has proved a revelation progressing through the grades and arrives here with a rating of 90. Sean D Bowen takes the ride, and he will be popular having won his sole start at this venue.
Oisin Murphy is an eye-catching booking on topweight Kyle Of Lochalsh. The Hughie Morrison-trained five-year-old performed with credit in several staying handicaps last summer including at Royal Ascot.
Others to note include AW Championships Marathon third and fourth, Heathen and Duke Of Oxford.
2.50 ParisLongchamp – Arc runner-up Aventure fancied on return
Christophe Ferland has not hidden the regard the holds star filly Aventure in, and she makes her eagerly anticipated return in this Prix Allez France. Last seen chasing home Bluestocking in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, she is expected to take this Group Three in before tackling the Coronation Cup at Epsom.
Grand Stars steps up in class having won a Listed contest at Saint-Cloud, while Prix Zarkava winner Zuna reopposes several of the beaten horses from that event.
Best of the rest
We have Group One action from Sha Tin…
7.50 Sha Tin – Ka Ying Rising looking to score for the twelfth time in a row in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize.
9.00 Sha Tin – Voyage Bubble bids to go two places better than last year in the FWD Champions Mile, with Beauty Eternal bidding to retain his crown and Mr Brightside makes the trip over from Australia.
9.40 Sha Tin – Goliath represents Graffard and Soumillon in the FWD QEII Cup but faces a quality field with Prognosis and Liberty Island leading the opposition.
Southwell – Premier raceday
We have some eye-catching entries, no less than a half-brother to Wicked, a half-brother to St Mark’s Basilica and Magna Grecia, who lines up in the Join Southwell Golf Club Novice Stakes at 5.15pm.
He needs to take a big step forward from his debut effort but a good chunk of improvement can’t be ruled out having never had the rub of the green on debut.
Muhaajim has a similar profile for the Haggas team, having been well beaten on debut but given his stellar pedigree, by Sea The Stars and out of dual Group One-winner Rizeena, there’s no doubt that better can be expected.
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