Horse Racing
Thesecretadversary bidding to show his worth in strong renewal of Prix Jean Prat
Royal Ascot hero Thesecretadversary heads to France with Fozzy Stack hopeful of making his mark at the highest level in the Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Prix Jean Prat on Sunday.
The St Mark’s Basilica colt has been highly tried and not disgraced in his previous outings in Group One company and having justified the lofty regard in which he is held when landing the Jersey Stakes, returns to the top table in Deauville for one of the final three-year-old-only Group Ones of the season.
Stack said: “We’re happy with him and he seems to have come out of Ascot in good shape so we hope he can run well.
“He’s run in three Group Ones so far and we’ve felt in each one he hasn’t had a fair crack of the whip.
“In Canada he had no luck in running, at Newmarket in the 2000 Guineas he kind of beat himself and then he had no luck in running again at the Curragh, so hopefully we can get a clear crack at it and get to see where we stand.
“I think he’s adaptable over seven furlongs and a mile, but he obviously won well over seven furlongs last time and this is the last chance he will get to run against his peers.”
It has been Seamie Heffernan that has done the steering for all but one outing of Thesecretadversary’s career – including when successful at the Royal meeting – but Christophe Soumillon will deputise for the suspended Irishman in Deauville.
“Christophe is a great jockey worldwide and so when you get the opportunity to use a jockey like that on his home patch you have to take it,” continued Stack.
“Obviously he doesn’t know the horse that well, but Seamie will talk to him beforehand and we’ll try to fill him in as best we can.
“We’re lucky to be able to book a guy like Christophe and with Seamie being suspended we couldn’t have booked anyone better really.”
A strong challenge from Ireland is headed by Aidan O’Brien’s 1000 Guineas star True Love, who sidestepped another clash with stablemate Precise in Friday’s Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket to instead drop back in distance.
O’Brien said: “True Love is good, she’s in good form.
“She’s going back to seven furlongs, but we didn’t think dropping back was ever going to be a problem.”
Also returning to seven furlongs is Charlie Appleby’s Time To Turn who won the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes and Group Three Horris Hill over the trip at two and was runner-up to high-ranking stablemate Talk Of New York on his return in the Heron Stakes.
“He’s doing well and we’ve waited for the ground. We were going to run him in the Jersey, but the quick ground might have been against us,” said the Moulton Paddocks handler.
“He’s in good order and it’s a very good race, but where else do I go with him?
“This is his trip I feel, so we’re looking forward to that.”
As is customary these days, French hopes are headed by the all-conquering Francis-Henri Graffard and Aga Khan Studs combination, with French 2000 Guineas scorer Rayif joined in the line-up by stablemate and Commonwealth Cup sixth Samangan.
Christopher Head’s four-time winner Nighttime also brings solid form to the table seeking his first Group One victory.
