Prix Royal-Oak: Third time lucky for long-running Saga?

Europe’s top stayers are spoiled for choice at this time of year. There’s the Melbourne Cup for the more adventurous, while closer to home there’s last weekend’s Long Distance Cup at Ascot which has come along to rival France’s longer-standing stamina test, the Prix Royal-Oak, which will be run at Saint-Cloud again on Sunday.

Home-trained horses dominated last year’s race, and the first three from 2015 are all in the line-up again, but the British challenge (plus one from Ireland) looks a particularly strong one this time.

Pallasator (Sir Mark Prescott) is the most proven of the British entries in top staying company, and barring a poor run in the Gold Cup, last year’s Doncaster Cup winner has done well this year, winning the Henry II Stakes at Sandown and on his last two starts finishing second in the Goodwood Cup and the Lonsdale Cup at York. His behaviour in the preliminaries has been a cause for concern in the past, but, as his trainer put it, ‘he’s more civilised than he used to be.’

Godolphin launch a three-strong challenge with Sky Hunter (Saeed bin Suroor), Endless Time and Penglai Pavilion (both Charlie Appleby). The trip won’t be a problem for Penglai Pavilion who recorded his first win on the Flat for three years when making all in the Cesarewitch Trial at Newmarket last time. The other two from Godolphin make more appeal in terms of form, but this will be Lancashire Oaks winner Endless Time’s first try beyond a mile and a half, while Sky Hunter, winner of a Goodwood listed race over a mile and a quarter last time, seemed not to get home in last year’s Melbourne Cup. Endless Time has shaped like a stayer, though, and William Buick’s mount could prove best of the Godolphin trio.

Penglai Pavilion isn’t the only representative of handicap form in the line-up. Quick Jack (Tony Martin) and Litigant (Joseph Tuite) are smart performers from that sphere, the former making his pattern-race debut here after winning a valuable event under 9-12 at Leopardstown on Irish Champions weekend. Quick Jack was earlier third to his Melbourne-bound stablemate Heartbreak City in the Ebor which was won last year by Litigant. He’s a fragile sort though, and it’s a surprise to see him turned out again so soon after his sixth in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot last week which was his first start since winning last year’s November Handicap at Doncaster.

The British challenge is completed by Montaly (Andrew Balding) and Justice Belle (Ed Walker) who finished second and fifth respectively in a valuable handicap at Haydock early last month. Montaly (whose sire Yeats won this race) is seeking his first win for more than two years, but Justice Belle has since landed a listed race at Newmarket under an enterprising ride from Frankie Dettori – he keeps the ride but might find it harder to pull off similar tactics here.

Last year’s third Mille Et Mille is a confirmed front-runner himself who made a bold bid to win the Gold Cup in June before finishing a creditable fourth. Overall, though, his form this year suggests he’ll struggle to repeat last year’s finish behind Vazirabad.

Vazirabad won this as a three-year-old last year and has confirmed himself as France’s top stayer this year, beaten only twice in his last ten races. One of those defeats was over an inadequate trip here in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in the summer, while last time out he was just outstayed in the Prix du Cadran by the Lonsdale Cup winner Quest For More. Back at this trip, he’s the one to beat, but given likely cramped odds he looks worth taking on with last year’s runner-up Siljan’s Saga.

She’s contested the last two Royal-Oaks, both times after finishing mid-division at a huge price in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. A 66/1 shot for the latest Arc, she again outran her odds – even more so this time – as she stayed on to take fourth behind Found. That was a cracking effort given she came from much further back than the Aidan O’Brien trio who beat her, not enjoying the clearest of runs as she did so. Found, of course, has run well in defeat since at Ascot, while the Arc sixth One Foot In Heaven won at Chantilly last weekend.

Siljan’s Saga meets Vazirabad on better terms than in last year’s race and finished just in front of him when third in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on their most recent meeting. She’ll be ridden as usual by Pierre-Charles Boudot who last weekend broke the record for the most winners in a French season when gaining his 229^th win of the year.

Besides Vazirabad, owner the Aga Khan and trainer Alain de Royer Dupre are also represented by the filly Candarliya who has shown a consistently smart level of form this year and holds the strongest claims among the rest of the French runners in the line-up.

Recommendation:

Back Siljan’s Saga in the Prix Royal-Oak at Saint-Cloud on Sunday