Sunday's Meetings Galway Festival Mixed 8 Races 1:50-5:30p.m. Chester Flat 7 Races 2:10-5:22p.m Yarmouth Flat 6 Races 2:32-5:12p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Unsurprisingly the O'Brien trained January is favourite for the Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville. The daughter of Kingman hasn't really been the punters pal with two victories, both at 1/2 Fav, from her nine career starts. Third place in the Coronation Stakes and Second place in the Falmouth, when 6/4 Fav, has seen her rating rise to 115 from 105 but I have concerns about how good those races really were and she has been expensive to follow. She is also unproven on soft ground. For those reasons I will pass with some decent looking opponents rated closely to her and older fillies to deal with as well. Crimson Advocate reopposes from the Falmouth where she was a length and 3/4 behind January. She is 2lbs better off this time but is also unproven on soft. The stable also have Spiritual who ran a personal best last time and has won on soft before. That win was at Epsom and although a personal best leaving her on 112 now that track does not always translate to other venues and it was a lot lower class race she won when the ground was soft. Francis Graffard may have the best hand in the race. He has Matilda and Mandanaba. The first named unusually won the German 2000 Guineas where she thrashed the colts. That is a lower standard of course but she was a six and a half length winner. She has since transferred to the Graffard yard in France. Previously a winner on soft ground where she won by five lengths, her Racing Post rating leaves her with just a pound to find with January and she has only had three starts, surely leaving scope to improve again. Mandanaba was third in the French Guineas and was my selection in the Prix Diane (French Oaks) where she pulled hard early and took a while to settle. I thought she was coming with a winning challenge but she could not keep it up and weakened into fourth. Dropping back in trip looks sensible and if she settles better should be involved. She ran on good to soft in the Diane but has not run on soft. At the mile she may be OK on it. Looking at Matilda it is hard to get away from her. She picked up the front runner with ease in the German Guineas and fairly flew away, finishing with tons left in the tank. She ticks all the boxes apart from class but she looked out of the ordinary and has joined arguably France's top trainer. I'll take her stablemate to follow her home. 3.40 Deauville Matilda 4/1 Matilda/Mandanaba RF in case it goes the other way. Good luck whatever you are playing.
