French 1000 Guineas Tips & Betting Preview

This is the French 1000 Guineas, raced over a mile, see our betting tips and the full race preview below.

IN SUMMARY: This is a wide-open renewal of the French 1000 Guineas with some interesting sorts on show. There are question marks regarding this trip for Roly Poly on this softer ground and Rain Goddess may do best of the Aidan O’Brien runners with this step up in trip sure to suit having had a nice prep-run at Newmarket. Sea Of Grace looks like the best of the UK & Irish challengers with a step back up in trip sure to suit and this softer ground should be of no concern for the in-form William Haggas stable. DELECTATION won a Group 3 as a 2yo for Bryan Smart and has since gone on to win another Group race in Germany for her new trainer in Andreas Wohler and she’s a fair price to land the spoils here. She had the perfect prep-run last month and she’s worthy of her chance now up in grade with a nice draw in stall 6. Senga will be a tough nut to crack but she’s drawn in stall 14 and she’s yet to race on this softer ground.

1 CRISTAL FIZZ – Twice-raced filly who won both of her starts aged two at the end of last season. She won her debut at Ascot over 6 furlongs by a length and progressed by a fair margin to go on to score in a Listed contest at Newbury on Good to Soft ground. She showed clear improvement for the step up in trip and she should relish this extra distance and the Soft ground. She has a little to find on form and it would be an excellent training effort for her to win this without a prep-run.

2 WAJNAH – Sure to relish conditions today following two successes on Soft and Heavy ground. He won a conditions race at Bordeaux in early March and that would have served as a perfect preparation for today’s race for one of France’s leading trainers. She has a little to find on form with a few of today’s opponents and this will require significant improvement so others make slightly more appeal on these terms.

3 AMAANI – Yet to win in two career starts, both in maiden company. She improved for her first start this season which came at Saint-Cloud in March and she should improve for that run but it was disappointing she couldn’t get closer to the winner and this is a significant step up in grade. Her trainer has had two winners from 22 runners at Deauville and she’s best avoided in this today.

4 DELECTATION –  The leading chance for Germany in this and Andreas Wohler’s runner looks primed for today’s race. She won a Group 3 at Ayr in September for Bryan Smart and she was sent to Germany over the winter and she won a Group 3 at Cologne last month for her new trainer. She won as she liked that day and that would have served as a perfect preparation run for this race and she could be slightly overpriced here.

5 HEURISTIQUE – The choice of leading French jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot and she has a little bit to find on form. She won a Listed race at Toulouse in November by a fair margin and she’s likely to have needed her seasonal reappearance at Saint-Cloud back in March when second of ten in a listed contest. She will improve for that run but she will need to in order to be competitive here and her trainer has a poor 8% strike rate so she may be best avoided in this.

6 THAIS – One of the more exposed runners in today’s field having raced five times to date. Her sole victory came in a Saint-Cloud maiden when she beat the smart Normandie and she’s raced in Group company since. She’s placed on two occasions in Group 3 company over 7 furlongs and she steps back up in trip today against smarter opposition and she may find this slightly too hot today. Others make more appeal.

7 SENGA – Smart filly who has some of the smartest form in the race following a fourth placed effort in a Group One at Chantilly last October. She couldn’t have had a better prep-run than when seen at Chantilly last month, travelling smoothly through the race having been a shade keen before putting the race to bed with ease. That was a solid Group 3 contest and she will be in perfect shape for this. The slightly softer ground does raise a small question mark though and she’s not bombproof.

8 VIA RAVENNA – Made her racecourse debut in early March to win a Chantilly maiden over a mile. She dropped back in trip to seven furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte last month where she beat Thais by a length when hard ridden by Vincent Cheminaud. Andre Fabre has an excellent 19% strike rate at Deauville and his Raven’s Pass filly will be strong in the betting here with more to come now back up in trip and tried at this stronger level.

9 PRECIEUSE – This Tamayuz filly has been running to a consistent level in Listed and Group 3 company aged 2 and 3. She couldn’t overcome a strong winner last month in a Group 3 at Chantilly but that form is stronger than anything she has done to date and she is clearly not done improving. She steps up in trip from 6 furlongs to a mile today which doesn’t look sure to suit and and her regular pilot Pierre-Charles Boudot gets off her today.

10 CHARM APPEAL – Canford Cliffs filly who has improved the further she has gone since beginning her career last October. She won a Listed contest at Maisons-Laffitte just 7 days ago on Soft ground and she looks in top form going into the toughest race of her career so far. She’s another that has something to find on form with some of these although she’s clearly progressive and the stable have sent out 3 winners from their last 5 runners. Chances.

11 SMOULDER – First of three runners for Aidan O’Brien and she looks like the third string on jockey bookings. She won a Dundalk maiden just 3 days ago which isn’t the most obvious preparation race and she has plenty to find on form having run in three maidens to date. She will be suited by this step up in trip to a mile although this is a massive step up in grade and she can only be watched here.

12 ROLY POLY – Smart War Front filly who won a Group 2 at Newmarket last Summer as well as a Group 3 at the Curragh. Steps back up in trip to a mile today following a seventh placed finish in the Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket last month. She ran a fair race that day but there are questions marks regarding this trip given she’s looked much better over shorter. She was only beaten 4 1/2 lengths at Santa Anita in a Group 1 in November over a mile but today’s ground is much softer and there will be a bigger emphasis on stamina here.

13 RAIN GODDESS – Won on debut for David Wachman over 7 furlongs on Good ground at Leopardstown. She’s run to a fair level on two runs this season for Aidan O’Brien and she was only beaten 2 1/4 lengths in the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes having stayed on nicely in the finish. This step up in trip to a mile looks absolutely ideal for her given she’s by Galileo and the Soft ground should be no problem so there are plenty of positives about her profile.

14 ASIDIOUS ALEXANDER – Simon Crisford has been in poor form of late (no winners from 13 runners) and he runs his Windsor Knot filly here. She was well-beaten at Newmarket on her final start of last season in a Group 3 contest and she’s generally struggled in better company although she did finish second in a Deauville Group 3 last August. She has won on Good to Soft before so conditions should be fine but this step up in trip may stretch her and others are preferred.

15 GOKENA – Failed to score in three runs in maiden company for Kevin Ryan and she’s found slightly better fortune in France. She won a Toulouse maiden in March and she has been thereabouts in two Listed contests and a Group 3 over a mile and seven furlongs. She needs to improve her form to win this race and others make more appeal given she looks slightly exposed in this grade.

16 SEA OF GRACE – William Haggas is in fine form of late (23% strike rate in the past fortnight) and he runs his Born To Sea filly here. She won two races for John Oxx inducing a Group 3 at the Curragh in August and she ran a nice race on her seasonal reappearance in the Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket when she beat Roly Poly. She was far too keen that day and didn’t look quite right but she should do much better here with that experience behind her and she should be one of the leading contenders in the betting market.

17 FESTIVE – Won a low-grade maiden at Cagnes before going on to finish fourth in a conditions race at Maisons-Laffitte last month. She was beaten 2 lengths that day and she ranks as one of the outsiders in this with plenty to find on form with most of today’s rivals. The yard are without a winner from 20 runners at Deauville and it would be a big shock to see her win this.

18 TOULIFAUT – Won three races on the bounce last season which included a Group 3 at Chantilly. She finished a length in front of the smart Normandel when she recorded that group success and she wasn’t fair away in the Prix Marcel Boussac on her final start of the campaign. She ran a fair race in defeat on her seasonal reappearance at Chantilly last month and she will come on a lot for that although the stable has had some major problems and they’ve been extremely quiet of late. Jean-Claude Rouget has a 29% strike rate at Deauville.