Jessica Harrington will hope the Curragh’s Beresford Stakes continues to be a significant pointer to William Hill Futurity success when Hotazhell lines up in Britain’s final Group One of the season at Doncaster on Saturday.
Luxembourg in 2021 was the last of four Aidan O’Brien-trained Beresford winners to progress to a Futurity victory while Michael Halford’s Casamento memorably brought up the double too in 2010.
Hotazhell was a doughty winner of last month’s Beresford when three parts of a length too good for Tennessee Stud, and his trainer is anticipating another high-class effort when Shane Foley again teams up with the colt.
“Everything is looking all right, he came out of his last race very well, he’s had plenty of time and we’re happy with him,” she said. “It’s a big, wide, galloping track. He’s won at the Curragh, and I think he’ll be fine. I think the ground will be grand for him as it’s going to be soft.”
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Delacroix is the sole Ballydoyle hope as Aidan O’Brien pursues a record-extending 12th success in the race.
Unlike Luxembourg, Saxo Warrior, St Nicholas Abbey and Saratoga Springs, his runner this time prepped for this prestigious prize by winning at Newmarket in a Group Three. Before that, Delacroix had finished behind another high-class Harrington juvenile in Green Impact.
The home team looks to be topped by Wimbledon Hawkeye, winner of the Royal Lodge on his last start, as well as the John & Thady Gosden pair, Detain and Nebras. The latter has been supplemented and is a half-brother to the top-class Nashwa.
In a season that has produced any number of high-class two-year-old fillies, the door is still open to a colt producing the sort of dominant performance that results in European juvenile championship honours.
Godolphin’s Shadow Of Light has pulled off the Middle Park-Dewhurst double but Europe’s final three Group One prizes for two-year-olds in 2024 are crammed into this weekend.
As well as the Futurity, Sunday’s action in Paris includes the Criterium International and the Criterium De Saint-Cloud, both races containing significant Irish interest. Aidan O’Brien has won each of the €250,000 Saint-Cloud prizes five times and has supplemented horses into both.
The filly Ballet Slippers will join Joseph O’Brien’s Beresford runner-up Tennessee Stud in the 10-furlong contest (off at 11.48 Irish time) won by Los Angeles a year ago and which this year has just four runners with no French representation.
Last weekend’s impressive six-length Leopardstown scorer Twain is making a quick turnaround in the one-mile Criterium International (12.23.) He belied 28/1 odds on his debut but faces a major jump in class in a six-runner heat that includes Joseph O’Brien’s Goffs Million winner Apples And Bananas.
If there’s a potential champion in the mix, though, it could be the unbeaten French colt Maranoa Charlie.
Christopher Head’s son of Wootton Bassett has been a spectacular eight-length winner in each of his last two starts. He had Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Harvey behind him at Saint-Cloud earlier this month and the English trainer was among those hugely impressed.
“Harvey ran a little bit flat last time, but if we had started the day before we wouldn’t have beaten the winner – he looks unbelievable,” said Chapple-Hyam. “It actually reminded me of the time I took on Arazi many years ago. I thought he can’t be that good and found out he was!”
Sunday’s Saint-Cloud action also includes the €350,000 Group One Prix Royal Oak (2.50) over almost two miles, which sees Aidan O’Brien try to add to his sole previous success in the race with Grosvenor Square.
No less than Yeats won France’s St Leger in 2008 and Grosvenor Square is one of just a pair of three-year-olds taking on six older stars. Among them is the home star Sevenna’s Knight, fifth to Bluestocking in the Arc earlier this month.
The Harrington-Foley team will also be at Saint-Cloud for Group Two assignments with Bay Of Sanibel and Curvature while Joseph O’Brien’s continental interests extend to Rome on Sunday.
Declan McDonogh is on duty at the Capanelle track for Trustyourinstinct and Je Zous in a pair of Group Two contests. Both horses won at Group Three level on their previous domestic starts.
