WEST WIND COULD BE ANYTHING

The French racing calendar is rather odd in that it offer two middle distance Group 1 races for three year old fillies early in the season - the Prix Saint-Alary and the Prix de Diane.

It looks like a horse needs to be targeted at one or the other of the big fillies prizes as only one of the last 17 Prix Saint-Alary winners that tried to win the Prix de Diane succeeded.

In fact, not only does a win in the Prix Saint-Alary seem to hurt a Prix de Diane contender's chances, a previous run in any Group race over ten furlongs or more appears detrimental.

Eight of the last ten Prix de Diane winners before this year never previously ran beyond 1850 metres (nine and a quarter furlongs) in Group company. WEST WIND (38) made it nine out of eleven when taking this year's Prix de Diane with a telling burst of speed.

West Wind didn't run fast enough to beat colts at Group 1 level here. But she was rather impressive and looked as though she might well be able to go a bit quicker in stronger company.

I dare say West Wind will follow the standard schedule and be rested till the Prix Vermeille in the Autumn. That looks set to be an unusually good race this year so it should tell us what we need to know about West Wind's stamina and her chance of taking the Arc. Right now I'm in the skeptical camp on both counts but you never know.

DON'T UNDER-ESTIMATE LAWMAN

LAWMAN (41) clocked a very respectable time to win the Prix du Jockey Club. And when he burst clear with a furlong and a half to run it looked like he might end up running even faster. But either he tired or simply idled after being in front all the way. In the end he finished just a length and a half clear.

I like the look of Lawman in the race. He didn't steal it by setting a slow pace and then kicking on. He set a pretty decent gallop and then opened up on his rivals, leaving them struggling in the way only a top class horse can do.

Clearly on pedigree there's little chance that Lawman will stay the mile and a half of the Arc. So it makes sense to target the Irish Champion Stakes as his trainer suggested once he's had the Summer break most of the top horses in France get.

I'll be very interested in Lawman's chances at Leoaprdstown. This was a big run from a horse that's now won rather impressively both times he's gone further than a mile.

DON'T DESERT VISINDAR

VISINDAR (36) was a truly brilliant three year old last season. And it was good to see him return from injury to run second to NUMIDE (40) at Longchamp.

Numide is rather an oddball. As his trainer says "he does not like contact with other horses." In big fields he gets into trouble but in tiny fields like the one he raced in at Longchamp he's some machine. He's now won four times out of five in fields of seven or less and finished a good second to the Group 1 winner Gentlewave in his sole loss.

I'd be very interested in Numide's chances if ever he hits a big Group 1 race with seven runners or less. I can see him scoring a big upset.

To run second to such a horse when clearly in need of the run was a good effort on the part of Visindar. Okay yes it was worrying to see him wear front leg bandages. But this was a perfectly good comeback run over a trip that's probably on the short side for Visindar. And Fabre would not have brought him back if he felt he couldn't keep him sound. He's a very conservative and shrewd trainer.

I still see Visindar as one of Andre Fabre's two big guns for the Arc (Rail Link being the other) and fully expect to see him win at the top level sometime this term.