Longchamp today

An excellent Sunday card at Longchamp features two Group Two events, the Prix d´Harcourt for older horses at 15.25 and the Prix Noailles for 3yo´s at 15.55, both over middle distances. Th latter race, an important Derby trial, has 7 runnrs, two of them traind in Irland by Aidan O´Brien, with Crowfoot (Colm O´Donoghu) presumably acting as pacemaker for Golden Sword (Christophe Soumillon).

Best of the locals are Wajir (Elie Lellouche/ Antony Crastus) and the Lando colt Calvados Blues (Patrick Demercastel/ Ioritz Mendizibal), but German-bred Grandcamp, twice an easy winner on fibresand at Cagnes, is an interesting outsider. Last yar´s Frnch Drby was won by Eric Libaud´s Vision d´Etat, whose only defeat came when fifth in the "Arc". He is the obvious favourite for the d´Harcourt with Mendizibal in the saddle, but it will not be easy to concede the weight to some useful performers, notably The Bogberry (Alain de Royer- Dupre´/ Gerald Mosse) and Never on Sunday (Jean-Claude Rouget/ Christophe Lemaire). Best race on the undercard is the tierce´handicap over 2400 metres at 14.50, in which Samiro (Werner Baltromei/ Dominique Boeuf) faces tough opposition but should still go well.

Betting forecast:
1. Race: Heart Of Ice - Board Meeting - Belle Epoch
2. Race: Rebel Dancer - Natural Leader - Samiro
3. Race: Vision D`Etat - Prospect Wells - Never On Sunday
4. Race: Wajir - Calvados Blues - Grandcamp
5. Race: Ciel Rouge - Wadjeka - Gainful
6. Race: Ile De Re - Claremont - Hermoun
7. Race: Mille Etoiles - Unepetitehistoire - Solaria
8. Race: Pateese - Polary - Star Warrior