France Sunday : Canford Hills

Canford Cliffs takes on quality quartet in Morny


Preview: France, Sunday 2.50pm BST (live on ATR)

Deauville: Darley Prix Morny (Group 1) 6f, 2yo

IT MAY be the smallest field for the Morny since 1996 but the five-runner field is packed with quality, headed by brilliant Coventry Stakes winner Canford Cliffs.

The Group 1 contest has been exported nine times in the last 11 years and the main French defenders bidding to reverse the trend are the Andre Fabre-trained Zanzibari and the Criquette Head-Maarek-trained Special Duty.


Richard Hannon has had his eye on the Morny since Canford Cliffs's outstanding win in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. His sire, Tagula, won the race in 1995 and Canford Cliffs has been rested since his Royal Ascot win.



He is joined by the Brian Meehan-trained Arcano, who runs for the first time in Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum'scolours. Meehan took the Morny in 2000 with Bad As I Wanna Be and saddled the second, Gallagher, 12 months ago.

Arcarno won the TNT July Stakes at Newmarket last time and on defeated Showcasing on his first start, who has since run out the easy winner of the Gimcrack Stakes at York.


Zanzibari was bought by Sheikh Mohammed after his first start and the son of Smart Strike now runs under the Godolphin banner in France, so he will be ridden by Frankie Dettori. Last time out he lifted the Group 3 Prix de Cabourg over the course and distance.

Head-Maarek has never won the Morny and saddles the improving Special Duty here. The filly ran on well to take the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin last time and she appears to have plenty of scope for improvement.

Whipper won the race in 2003 for Robert Collet and his daughter, Dolled Up, will represent the same trainer in the race on Sunday afternoon. Olivier Peslier will be hoping that she can give him a first victory in this Group 1 race. Last time out she was third in the Robert Papin having previously picked up the Group 3 Prix du Bois at Chantilly.

What they say:

Brian Meehan, trainer of Arcano
"I don't think the going is a big issue for my colt and I hear it is drying up. He is in very good form and his form was given a boost last week by Showcasing. I feel he isout of the top drawer and he is in 100 per cent shape. He is just a very nice horse and was impressive at Newmarket and that is why I am running him in the Morny."

Simon Crisford, racing manager to Godolphin's Zanzibari
"Andre Fabre is very happy with the colt and he will be running under our French colours (all beige) for the first time. Obviously it is a fantastically hot race, which is always the case. All hasgone well with the colt since his win in the Cabourg."

Richard Hannon, trainer of Canford Cliffs
"He is very well and we are hoping for the best but it is a hot race. I think Fabre's horse (Zanzibari) is the one to beat. My colt is a pretty nice horse and he has had a nice rest. There is no point when you have won the Coventry to run in another Group 2 race. He has been working well at home and good ground should be just about perfect. I think he has come on since Ascot but it is a tough race."

Criquette Head-Maarek, trainer of Special Duty
"She has improved a lot from her last race and is going really well. Itis tough to take on the colts and the English form is slightly unknown over here but I am very confident of a big run."

Alpine Rose holds strong claims in Jean Romanet

Preview: France, Sunday 3.20pm BST (live on ATR)

Deauville: Prix Jean Romanet (Group 1) 1m2f,4yo+ f+m

THE Darley Prix Jean Romanet is run as a Group 1 for the first time on Sunday and seemingly provides Alpine Rose with an outstanding chance of success.

Bought by the Monceaux Stable for a record €550,000 at the Arqana December Sales last December, Alpine Rose has turned into a top-class performer this season.

She lifted the Group 2 Prix Corrida and was far from disgraced when runner up to Spanish Moon in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

If Lady Marian can find her true form she could test Alpine Rose in the final stages of this €250,000 contest. She ended her three-year-old career by picking up the Group 1 Prix de l'Opera and was then bought by Godolphin.

So far this season she has finished last in the Dubai Duty Free and showed better form when running seventh to Goldikova in the Prix Rothschild and that outing will have done her plenty of good.

Danse Grecque comes from the in-form Elie Lellouche stable. She was behind Lady Marian in the Rothschild but second to Alpine Rose in the longer Corrida back in May having won over this distance at Longchamp in April.

The Spanish trained Synergy has won her last three races. She came to Maisons-Laffitte at the end of July and ran out the winner of the Listed Prix de la Pepiniere. La Boum is a hardened campaigner and since a third in the Corrida she has run fifth in the longer Prix Maurice de Neuil.

What they say

Alain de Royer-Dupre, trainer of Alpine Rose

"Everything has gone according to plan since her second in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. She has done enough work to do herself justice and I just want to be sure that the track is not dangerous. I am convinced that this filly can go on all types of ground and we have a pacemaker on this occasion to be sure there is not a false pace. I have always run her on left handed tracks since she came to me in the winter but I am sure she can adapt."

Simon Crisford, racing manager to Godolphin's Lady Marian

"She has excellent form with cut in the ground and she had a good prep run in the Rothschild over a trip which was a little bit short for her and the filly is coming into this race in top condition. We would have preferred some rain but it hasn't come so that is that."

Also on Sunday. . .

Deauville: Darley Prix de la Nonette (Group 3) 1m2f, 3yo fillies (2.20pm BST)

TAMAZIRTE started her season at Cagnes-Sur-Mer and has since gone from strength to strength. She is sure to be a warm favourite for this race which is a trial for the Prix Vermeille.


The filly finished ahead of Proportional when winning the Prix de la Grotte and ahead of the same individual when runner up in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. In mid June she ran second to her outstanding stablemate Stacelita in the Prix de Diane and she hasn't been out since.

Khalid Abdullah's Proportional has not fulfilled expectations this season since winning the Prix Marcel Boussac with plenty in hand but her last race was extremely promising.

Held up late early on, she came rattling along at the end to finish second in the Group 3 Prix de Pysche and she certainly appeared to appreciate the ten-furlong distance for the first time.

John Gosden is bang on form and he sends over Charity Belle with Jimmy Fortune inthe saddle.

This filly appears to have a lot on her plate and since winning a maiden at Newcastle by five lengths she has been fourth in a Listed race and runner up in a handicap at Ffos Las.

What they say

Criquette Head-Maarek, trainer of Proportional

"She is extremely well and has been working nicely. She appreciated the ten furlongs last time in the Psyche and we are all at equal weights so I am hopeful she can run a big race."

Jean-Claude Rouget, trainer of Tamazirte

"Tamazirte has been freshened up since her second in the Diane
but she doesn't run alone in the Nonette. If all goes according to plan she will go on to the Prix de l'Opera. "



Deauville: Darley Prix Kergolay (Group 2) 1m7f, 3yo+ (1.15pm BST)

JUST four runners turn out for the Darley Prix Kergolay and the hot favourite for this staying event is sure to be Godolphin's Schiaparelli.

He looked back to his best form when taking the Goodwood Cup last time out and should be capable of carrying his penalty and beating his three rivals.

The six-year-old was bought by Godolphin after his Classic season and the stable will also be represented by the Andre Fabre-trained Mojave Moon, who was the winner of a minor race at Vichy last time out.

The ex-Argentine Candy Gift is a very consistent individual. Blue Bresil, who has been hurdling in top class company for most of the season won a small race at Chantilly last time out and he makes up the rest of the field.

What they say

Simon Crisford, racing manager for Godolphin owner of Schiaparelli

"He wouldn't want the groundto firm but he has come out of his Goodwood race well and this is a good race to run back in. He has had some feet problem in the past but hopefully that is all behind him now."

Not sure if the blind tote is running in France, but to give you some indication of the odds

Schiaparelli will be short priced at 1/3 ish
Tamazirte about evens
Canford Cliffs a good 5/10 shot
Alpine Rose 15/10

so an ATC is the answer today, if you can get a bet?

Canford cliffs was never going and well beaten,will try and find a replay later..

Going into the race, I didn't like the vibes from Hannon and his son.

I own the grandam of Canford Cliffs and naturally was hoping for a different result.

Another one of the great list?

Sure the winner was owned by the Sangsters the last time it run?

Was a close finish, but here is what the bookies think.

Layers split over Arcano prospects in Guineas


ARCANO inflicted a first defeat on runaway Royal Ascot winner and former 2,000 Guineas favourite Canford Cliffs in the Darley Prix Morny, but the bookmaking fraternity are divided over his chances of following up in next year's Newmarket Classic.


Hamdan Al Maktoum's new purchase, who had previously beenavailable to back at 16-1 for the Stan James-backed Guineas, is now as short as 6-1 with Totesport but double that price with Ladbrokes following his narrow success in the Deauville Group 1 showpiece.

Bookmakers, fully aware that Aidan O'Brien was not represented in the Morny, generally reacted with some caution to Arcano's performance, not least Ladbrokes, who believe that the Brian Meehan-trained juvenile's chance of landing the Guineas is the same as that of Canford Cliffs.


However, Deauville disappointment led to a massive inflation of the Coventry Stakes winner's Guineas odds. Paddy Power, like Ladbrokes, make him a 12-1 shot with both Coral, Totesport and William Hill happy to chalk up 10-1.

In other Guineas moves, Stan James trimmed Gimcrack Stakes winnerShowcasing to 12-1 from 14-1, while Saturday's Fairyhouse winners Cape Blanco (14-1 from 16-1) and Dick Turpin (16-1 from 20-1) were both shortened by Paddy Power.

Reaction to Sunday's Deauville action also centred on Morny runner-up Special Duty, introduced into William Hill's Stanjames.com 1,000 Guineas market at 12-1, and Darley Prix Kergorlay winner Schiaparelli, a 33-1 shot for the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with the same layer

The race was probably the hottest 2yo race of the year,and Richard Hughes is adamant that Canford cliffs never ran upto his best.

They took a second of the course record and 2 seconds of the race record..