The Mandarin’s Sunday Selections for 16th June 2024

The Mandarin’s Sunday Selections from Chantilly

Prix du Bois Longines – Fonds European de l’Elevage (Group 3) 1.05
Arabie
The first of the Pattern races on Chantilly’s Sunday card can go to British raider Arabie. Karl Burke has had his string in fine fettle this season, and after taking the Irish 1,000 Guineas with Fallen Angel the Spigot Lodge handler is on a real high. He’s tasted Group 1 success here in France too, when stable star Laurens won today’s feature, the Prix de Diane in 2018. Here his Dandy Man colt wouldn’t have to improve much from his Class 3 win at York from the front, so Arabie can make it a worthwhile trip over with Jim Crowley in the hot seat

Prix du Lys Longines (Group 3) 2.20
Trafalgar Square
It should pay to side with Patrice Cottier’s Trafalgar Square for this Group 3 contest over a mile and a half. He’s ultra consistent, never out of the first three in eight starts on turf, and although he couldn’t find any extra for pressure in the Prix Hocquart when the useful Calandagan asked the question, there’s every chance of notching up his fourth win here. Jean-Claude Rouget’s Delius is the obvious danger, after making it two from two over course and distance last month, but this is a step up in grade, while the Frankel colt Coetzee also makes the shortlist. Trafalgar Square to use his racing experience to take this, ahead of Delius and Coetzee

Prix de Diane Longines (Group 1) (Fillies) 3.05
Aventure (nap)
In a cracking renewal, the chance is taken on Christophe Ferland’s Aventure, after she blitzed the field in the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont here two weeks ago. She more than justified favouritism in that race, coming home 7 lengths clear, but now has a whole host of dangers to face for this Fillies’ Group 1. Not least of these is Charlie Appleby’s Oaks runner-up, Dance Sequence, who holds plenty of fancy entries this summer, and is held in the highest esteem at the Moulton Paddocks yard, while David Menusier’s Tamfana was a strong finisher in the 1,000 Guineas under Jamie Spencer and now gets Oisin Murphy in the saddle. Aventure to dine at the top table, with Tamfana and Dance Sequence to chase her home

Prix Bertrand du Breuil Longines (Group 3) 5.00
Marhaba Ya Sanafi (nb)
Andreas Schutz drops his stable star into a Group 3 contest here to rebuild some confidence. After his surprise win in the 2023 French 2,000 Guineas where he went off at 33/1, he’s been raced at the highest level, finishing third in the French Derby and a neck second in the Prix du Muguet at Saint-Cloud earlier this season. A three and as half length sixth in the Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan at ParisLongchamp showed all the ability remains, and a return to the winner’s enclosure surely beckons here. Not much bang for your buck, but Marhaba Ya Sanafi should be winning this

The Mandarin