Chantilly 🇨🇵

R8️⃣ – 14.32 Du Salon Violet Handicap 1900M

A hugely competitive handicap with three horses featuring in my tracker – Happy Hunter, TALK SHOW and SOUL OF THE NATION.

Happy Hunter is talented but unpredictable – on this occasion he’s drawn in 16, disappointed last time so I’ll reluctantly pass him by.

Conceding weight to all is my first selection, TALK SHOW, a lightly raced son of Lope De Vega. He made the frame on his penultimate start when third to Sweep Away at Senonnes-Pouance. His latest effort, a first in handicap company, saw him take 4th to Isla Del Sol over C&D. That marked his final race for Yann Barberot – now in the care of Gianluca Bietolini, he looks capable of a big run under Augustun Madamet from an excellent barrier.

I’ll bookend the race by including bottom-weight, SOUL OF THE NATION, for Anne-Sophie Crombez. This selection has vastly more experience but a very modest 1-27 strike-rate. Recent starts have been encouraging however, and he was very unlucky last time over 1600M in first time cheek-pieces. Alexis Pouchin had no luck but the way he stayed on suggests a return to this trip is required. Once again he has bagged the rail draw, theoretically the place to be, but of little use last time. Hopefully, Coralie Pacaut will have more luck on the son of Sioux Nation.

R9️⃣ – 15.07 De La Chambre Du Duc Handicap 1900M

A wide open finale with A TA GUISE my selection for Yann Barberot. The daughter of Almanzor is 0-5 but shown enough to suggest a race of this nature is within reach. He failed to justify favouritism over C&D last time when 8th to Kilia, but is better judged on an excellent 4th to Inkiostro, again over track and trip last month. Dorian Provost, good value for his claim, takes over from Alexis Pouchin and gate 7 looks ideal.