Prix de Bonneval

An interesting renewal of the 1100 metres Listed event at Chantilly, offering proof that decent French sprinters exist despite the annual British invasion for the Prix de l’ Abbaye de Longchamp on Arc weekend.

It’s Race 7 on the card, starting at 14.17 with 9 going to post. With ground stated as ‘bon souple’ (3.4) it is likely to be suitable for all.

Two that interest me are DROLE DE DAME and BOLCHOI, trained respectively by Stephane Wattel and André Fabre.

In fairness, both have to find improvement to be competitive. However, the former is relatively lightly raced, and scored nicely at Dieppe on her penultimate start, albeit in a handicap. Last time out, the Kodiac filly picked up second place at Fontainebleau in the Des Charmilles Stakes, beaten by Whispering Dream. The winner, trained by Henri Pantall, looks very smart so DROLE DE DAME lost little in defeat. She travels nicely in her races and I expect a bigger run than the market expects.

BOLCHOI is another intriguing runner. With 9 career starts, the son of Dabirsim boasts a 33% strike-rate and hit his straps recently with 3 victories from his last four. The latest, a wafer thin verdict over last year’s Prix De Bonneval winner Tudo Bem, confirmed a liking for C&D and he remains open to further improvement.

Of the others, Vicious Harry is of obvious interest under Christophe Soumillon. The Harry Angel colt is the current favourite but a strike-rate of 1 win from 11 starts is worth noting.

The aforementioned, Tudo Bem is respected as last year’s winner, but doesn’t arrive in the same form as he did in 2022.

Berneuil is only a 6YO but seems to have been around for much longer. Nevertheless, the son of Lope De Vega hasn’t won this season and disappointed favourite backers in the Prix du Petit Couvert at Parislongchamp last month.

Forza Capitano has to be respected but, as an 8YO, could be vulnerable to younger rivals. He represents Henri Pantall, who also saddles Amellata, a Pomellato filly who could win this purely on beauty. She is classy on her day but concedes weight all round and failed to justify favouritism in the Baden-Baden Golden Peitsche on her latest start.