Ante-post tip for Prix de Diane, the French Oaks, at Chantilly

It will be a weird weekend at Triple G Towers with Royal Ascot next week and my concentration very much on that as I will not be having a bet on Saturday – I will be watching hours of replays no doubt but no bets.

I will though be having an investment on Sunday as it is the Group One Prix de Diane, the French Oaks, across the Channel at Chantilly over the 1 mile and 2½ furlongs.

Laurens was second in the 1,000 Guineas at HQ and trainer Karl Burke had initially stated that she would come straight to Chantilly for this after that race. As it turned out she was so well they sent her out again in May and she followed up on the 27^th by winning the Group One Prix Saint-Alary on good-soft over 1m2f at Longchamp; an engagement she took up in preference to staying at a mile for the Irish 1,000 Guineas. I honestly believe she would be a lot shorter priced than 7-1 if she had more fashionable connections and I took that NRNB on Thursday. The ‘lads’ at Ballydoyle are shipping over Happily who was third in the above mentioned 1,000 Guineas at HQ before she filled the same spot in the Irish version at the Curragh last time out. She was keeping on in both races so the extra trip may help. Quite a bit was expected of Luminate and she was unbeaten until the Group Three Prix Cleopatre where she finished second just unable to reel in Castellar; she was of course ultimately dropped to fifth in the stewards room after a messy race. She certainly showed she isn’t afraid of a battle that day. The Aga Khan owned Alain de Royer-Dupre trained Shahnaza has headed the market for a little with the filly arriving off the back of two wins this season including the Listed Prix de la Seineover 1m3f at Longchamp last time.
Be lucky