Start of the Cagnes Meeting

Cagnes-sur-Mer, Monday, 16 January: At the Hippodrome Côte d`Azur in Cagnes-sur-Mer, the flat meeting begins today and continues until 27 February. Among the German guests are Sascha Smrczek and Michael Figge, who have two chances in the Prix de Seranon (6th race/15.50 h/26,000 Euro/1600 m).

The former will saddle Inaugural (Sylvain Ruis), who won in Mülheim a year ago and before that in Dresden and Cologne. The Munich coach will try Saphira Dream (Ambre Molins), who gave the sixth-placed Smrczek protégé a clear rebuff in her most recent triumph at the December event in Baden-Baden. Back then, the weight difference was nine pounds, this time it is still one kilo thanks to the permit rider. In the favour of the betting public will probably be Hooking (Aurelien Lemaitre), who underlined his continuing good form with an easy victory in Deauville last time. He carries maximum weight as does Anthorus (Maxime Guyon), placed twice at Listed level in late summer, and We Ride The World (Anthony Crastus), for whom the year ended in July after a strong start to the season. Dar Toungi (Tony Piccone) earned a dead heat for second place on the sand track at Chantilly. The Reynier representative is just as first choice as Mon Bel Canto (Cristian Demuro), who runs reliably to the front and currently finished fourth in Pau.