Best bet for the horse racing Sunday 2nd June 2024

Apologies the post isn't up till Lunchtime, technical issues. Another busy weekend in the horse racing world and hot on the heels of the Derby at Epsom we have the French version, the Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, on a decent card at Chantilly on Sunday afternoon with two listed heats and five Group races.

Best bet for the horse racing at Chantilly

The meeting gets underway at 1.05 with the going described as very soft this morning on what should be a sunny day in northern France.

Henri-Alex Pantall trained Fast Tracker will be the mount of James Doyle, after Wathnan Racing added the colt to their growing team of horses, for the Group One 1m2½f Qatar Prix du Jockey Club at 3.05. He has reportedly been going well at home and James Doyle was described as being ‘quite enthusiastic’ about the colts chances by the trainer having ridden him in work recently. After a rather inauspicious start to his racing career earlier this year he arrives unbeaten in his last three starts including an impressive seven-length victory in the Listed 1m2f Prix de Suresnes here at Chantilly four-weeks ago. All three wins have been on very-soft or heavy so the going is ideal and he hails from a French family with plenty of form around the trip. Diego Velazquez is Aidan O’Brien’s hope of winning a second Qatar Prix du Jockey Club having been sent here rather than Epsom where he was also entered. Forth in the mile G.1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains this was always the plan for this one with Aidan O’Brien saying before the French 2,000 Guineas “Diego should get further than a mile, but we feel this experience will do him good. If things go according to plan, we will head on to the French Derby next.” My concern for him would be the going and O’brien did say this week “Obviously he is a very good mover so the better the ground, the better it would suit him. We thought he would probably want good, fast ground as you can see when you see him gallop he has a very low, long action. Hopefully the ground won’t be soft and will improve (before Sunday). Definitely the better the ground, the better his chance.” Clive Cox has sent Ghostwriter over for the race having finished fourth in the 2000 Guineas last time out. As I said before the Guineas he is by top sprinter Invincible Spirit but his dam Moorside is a Juddmonte mare who won over 1m4f and stayed further, her dam Marching West was a sprinter, so who knows what this one's best trip might be! What we do know is his best form has been on good-firm and he aint getting that this afternoon. Look De Vega is considered the home teams best hope off the back of his win in the 1m2f Prix de Croissy at Longchamp recently which was just his second start. Andre Fabre trained Alcantor ran a decent race in the Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains to be third keeping on having challenged in the final furlong but not quite good enough to hold on. Stablemate Sosie might be one to put in a big run at a decent price. I think Fast Tracker can start to repay the purchase price for Wathnan Racing and the son of Churchill is the pick at 7-2.