Saint-Cloud Sunday Preview: Capri to motor home in Group 1

There are two Group 1s at Saint-Cloud on Sunday, both for two-year-olds, namely the Criterium International over seven furlongs and the Criterium de Saint-Cloud over a mile and a quarter. Both races were won by horses familiar to British and Irish racegoers last year, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Johannes Vermeer prevailing over Stormy Antarctic in a tight finish to the shorter event and Harry Dunlop’s Robin of Navan completing a hat-trick of wins in French races in the longer contest.

Aidan O’Brien again holds the key—how many times have we said that this year?—in the Criterium International courtesy of the filly Promise To Be True. Anyone who has read my Ante-Post 1000 Guineas Preview will know I think Promise To Be True is overpriced at 16/1 for the first fillies’ classic in 2017, and she will hopefully enhance her credential with an impressive victory here. Not only is she Timeform top-rated by 3 lb, but she’s also one of just two of the nine runners with a ‘p’ (capable of better) attached to her rating.

The other potential improver is Godolphins’ Bay of Poets who travelled well for a long way in the Royal Lodge Stakes and Racing Post Trophy on his last two starts. He should do better now back over seven furlongs, but he does have plenty to find with a number of his rivals, including Thunder Snow for the same owner (different trainer). Thunder Snow finished second in both the Vintage and Champagne Stakes in the summer, going down by just a head to Rivet in the latter, and he actually reversed the form with the subsequent Racing Post Trophy winner when the pair finished fourth and fifth behind Churchill in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last time. Thunder Snow promises to be on the scene here, while the Dewhurst sixth South Seas can’t be ruled out either, particularly if the ground is still on the soft side as it was earlier in the week.

There is a strong French challenge for the Criterium International this year, though, principally through Philippe Sogorb’s Boos and David Smaga’s Mate Story. Boos has had plenty of racing already, but she took another step forward when a head second to Sans Equivoque in a Group 2 at Maisons-Laffitte recently, shaping as if now ready for this step up to seven furlongs. Mate Story is more lightly raced after four starts, winning his first at Clairefontaine in July and his latest over C&D (a Group 3) this month. Mate Story won comfortably last time and may prove the biggest threat to Promise To Be True.

A field of 13 will assemble for the Criterium de Saint-Cloud but most eyes will be on one horse: Capri. Aidan O’Brien is set to run four horses as he bids to win this prize for the fourth time, though Capri (like Promise To Be True, the mount of Seamie Heffernan with Ryan Moore not at the meeting) is clear Timeform top-rated by 4 lb; he also has a ‘p’ next to his rating, unlike many of the other form principals. Capri beat the same stable’s subsequent Racing Post Trophy runner-up Yucatan when completing the hat-trick in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes at the Curragh last time and should prove suited by the increased stamina test here.

British-trained horses fill the next four places on ratings, namely Best Solution for Saeed bin Suroor, the filly Rich Legacy for Ralph Beckett, Cunco for John Gosden and Frankuus for Mark Johnston, with the last-named pair both sons of Frankel. The pick of them is Best Solution who had Capri’s stablemate The Anvil four lengths back in third when winning the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket last time, albeit when given an excellent ride by William Carson (moved near the rail from the stalls). It’s potentially significant that Godolphin aren’t relying on Best Solution, however, as they also run the intriguingly-named D’bai. There’s not much of D’bai, and he’s probably not totally straightforward either (in cheekpieces for his last two starts), at least not at this stage, but he clearly has plenty of ability, improving again when winning a listed event at Pontefract last time. D’bai relished the step up to a mile there, on heavy ground too, and he’s another who should be well suited by this marathon test for two-year-olds.