G1 French Grand Prix Preview

The Favourite

#1 Carja’s Bane (GR Simsters) 2/1 : This one is the class of the longer turf 3 year old division. He is from a $1.6 million dollar, G1 winning mare so it shouldn’t be a surprise he is following in her footsteps. Won the G2 South African Derby two back and followed that up with an even more dominating performance in the G1 Derby de English last out. The last two have been special and feel he is a deserving favourite against this group. He wins this and the chatter will continue to grow. Could be really special.

The Other G1 Winners

#2 River House Bed (British and European Racing Club) 5/1 : Winner of 5 in a row and against increasingly tougher competition. Stretched out to 10.5 furlongs last start when taking down the G1 Adelaide Derby. This will be his first start going this long, so distance is always a question mark when first asking. Hasn’t been an issue yet and must be rolling in here with as much confidence as the other top ones. He is against the best 2 in the rankings, so will know his role in short order. Believe he is in with a chance.

#9 Reel Approach (All-Stars Racing) 8/1 : If one of these has a resume close to the favourite, he is it. He did beat him (Carja’s Bane) two back when taking down the G2 No Allies. He traveled to Japan after that and had a real nice win in the G1 Japanese Derby. The speed figure is still 10 points lower, but only 1 of 3 in here with that G1 score. Has to be feeling good coming off a couple wins and does know what it takes to compete against the best. Do we trust those speed figures? Big test today.

Next Best

#4 Escaping Fate (Empire State Racing) 4/1 : May just be a cut below the best in here based on results but I sure wouldn’t rule him out as the speed figure increases with every start. He owns the 2nd best figure in the field and that helped him come second in the G1 Jockey Club last out. He was gaining on the leader at the finish line so the added distance he gets today will probably help. Never has finished out of the money. Will try to make his presence felt in this division today.

#5 Crazy Front Wars (Down Under Racing) 8/1 : Has switched trainer hands a few times after claiming races so surprising to think he ends up in this event. It isn’t a stretch either as he comes in off three consecutive second place finishes, including the G3 Oppenheimer last out. He has yet to really falter as the competition and distance increased. His running style might be suited to the extra distance as he comes from way back down the stretch. Are his speed figures high enough to be competitive against this group?

#7 Dalla Riva (All-Stars Racing) 6/1 : Has been competing against allowance company for all of his career before trying a listed stakes last out. He definitely fit as he drew away by nearly 4 lengths down the stretch to take home the Puppet Regime Turf Route. His running style mirrors some of the tougher talent in here, so not sure he will be able to get away as easily from this group. It is nice to see the speed figure increasing after each challenge, but he has yet to face one as tough as this.

#8 Mustbedoingitright (East-West Connection) 6/1 : One of the more experienced runners in the field as he has tried graded company 4 times already in his career. Problem is he was 9 lengths back in the G1 Derby de English last out which was taken down by the favourite (Carla’s Bane) here. Had nice podium finishes the two before in the G2 Dante’s Inferno and G3 Manatee Classic. Like how he has been running against tougher, but might be just below the best in the group.

Longshots

#6 Tete Ritualmord (European Union Racing Organization) and #3 Ginryu (Universal Racing Club) are both lightly raced long shots in this field. Ginryu used a front running style to break his maiden last out. This is a huge jump in competition from non-winners and he might not be ready to face them at this point in his career. Tete Ritualmord was able to score an allowance NW2L victory last out. He is also taking a big jump and probably is a cut below these as well. A podium finish would be a huge success for either of these ones.

The Field In Numbers

Horse	Speed – Career	Speed – 12F	CPU Value	T/L Rank	Total Points
Carja’s Bane	112.9	112.9	1095	1	36
River House Bed	106.9	106.9	936	7	29
Escaping Fate	109.8	N/A	977	21	27
Mustbedoingitright	105.7	105.7	893	52	24
Reel Approach	102.2	101.1	832	2	20
Dalla Riva	105.4	N/A	890	100	19
Crazy Front Wars	102.8	N/A	836	105	16
Tete Ritualmord	100.4	N/A	666	554	11
Ginryu	97.4	N/A	589	N/A	8