GETAWAY YET ANOTHER SMART FABRE 3YO

It hardly seems fair that Andre Fabre should have yet another smart middle distance three year old. But I'm afraid that's what I have to report now that GETAWAY (37) has gone and won a red hot maiden race at Saint-Cloud in pattern class time.

Getaway is a brother to the Italian Oaks winner Guadalupe who also placed in four other Group 1 contests.

It's quite possible Getaway will prove as good and we should get a chance to find out soon for he is entered in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris.

RUWI STRUTS HIS STUFF

RUWI (39) has been running good races in red hot Group races in his recent starts. So it was only fitting that he should win when dropped down to Listed class for the Grand Prix de Bordeaux.

Ruwi is actually a very decent horse. He's already won a Group 2 and would have won more Group races if he hadn't been unlucky enough to be racing in a country where they have an unusually large number of smart ten furlong horses right now. The logical thing to do now would be to run Ruwi outside of France where he can find easier Group race targets than he can at home.

MANDURO STILL THE FASTEST FRENCH MIDDLE DISTANCE HORSE

I should have listened to what the jockey of MANDURO (41) said after he'd disappointed last time out. He said the horse had flopped before on soft ground and simply needs a fast surface. Manduro proved him right when just failing to get up with a strong late run over a slightly inadequate trip in the Group 1 Prix D'Isphahan. He'd run a bit faster when taking the Prix d'Harcourt and would surely have done so here if the race had been ten furlongs.

Manduro has now won five of the six times he's raced on fast ground and will surely be making a raid on the Eclipse Stakes in a few week's time. Considering his need for fast ground it makes sense to campaign him over the Summer instead of giving him the normal mid-season break that top French horses usually get. That would mean bringing him back for an Autumn campaign when the ground would have turned against him.

I see Manduro as the one to beat in the Eclipse and suspect he'll start at decent odds too.

LAVEROCK (41) just beat Manduro home, and he's a proven fast ground performer too. He also seems to have problems coping with big fields, as demonstrated by all that trouble he got into in last year's Prix du Jockey Club where he was eventually disqualified after finishing third. Laverock would have won five of the six times he's run in fields of 11 or less on what I rate good or faster ground at ten furlongs or less but for an unlucky half length defeat by the smart Archange D'Or when he was boxed in till very late then flew.

If he were mine I'd ship Laverock over to California where small fields and firm ground are the norm in their big turf races. In Europe he's always going to be at risk from the weather and big fields.

MAGIC AMERICA THE BEST FRENCH TWO YEAR OLD SO FAR

MAGIC AMERICA (36) won a five furlong debutante's race at Longchamp in Group class time, making her the fastest French juvenile we've seen so far. What's interesting about this is that Magic America is actually bred to get a whole lot longer. Her dam, Shoofah, is a full sister to the smart staying filly Delilah (a Group winner at 1m 7f). Shoofah's only other foal to date is still a maiden, but his best run was a second in a 2m 3f hurdle and his latest flat run was over two miles. Magic America's sire, High Yield, was a high class performer at nine furlongs. So logically this Criquette Head trained filly should do at least as well over longer distances.

I can see Criquette Head taking Magic America over to Newmarket for the Cheveley Park Stakes where she'd have a decent chance on this showing. In the meantime I'd be wary of opposing the filly in lesser contests.

GERMANCE HAS STILL TO RUN FAST

Germance (31) stretched her unbeaten record to four with a win in the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary. But she has still to run any sort of a time. I'm far from convinced that she's such a good thing for the Prix de Diane.

So far this season the good French three year old fillies have been very thing on the ground. All the talent seems to lie with the colts. I can't believe this situation will continue, at least not to the extent it prevails now. I'd bet on a few better fillies than Germance coming along. For example Anna Mona and Premiere Note who I mentioned here recently.

REEFSCAPE LOOKING GOOD FOR THE GOLD CUP

Poor old REEFSCAPE (20). He finally got the fast ground he needs in the Group 2 Prix Vicomtesse Vigier but then the race developed into a farcical affair run at a crawl which doesn't suit this out and out stayer.

Reefscape was beaten once before on fast ground at a long distance when the early pace was really slow. But the pace is almost sure to be strong enough for him in the Ascot Gold Cup. I rate him the fastest stayer we've seen in the last five years. If the ground is as fast as it usually is at Royal Ascot I'd rate him a good thing.

VISINDAR IS THE REAL DEAL

Oh wow did VISINDAR (41) run fast. He earned the biggest speed rating I've given a three year old beyond a sprint trip all season in Europe when taking the Group 2 Prix Greffulhe and is now looking rather scary to those of us who've already gone for another horse ante-post in the Epsom Derby.

This was a big Group 1 class performance from a three year old this early in the year, the kind that is usually good enough to win a Classic.

Visindar showed last time that he could produce incredible acceleration off a slow pace with an 11 second final furlong. Now he's shown that he can run a very fast time in a strongly run race as well. The pictures I've seen of him suggest he's a really good looking horse and that he finished this race with his ears pricked and full of run. I'm still hopeful of a big run from Septimus in the Dante, but I have to say that after looking at the time Visindar ran here I'm now feeling depressed about my prospects of landing my ante-post flutter on the Coolmore horse. Fabre has got himself a horse that's as good as the hype. That's what my ratings say.

Previously unbeaten ONEROUS (38) ran a good race to finish four lengths second to what I think it's right to call the French Champion. No doubt his trainer Jean-Claude Rouget is glad Visindar will be going to Epsom rather than staying at home for the Prix du Jockey Club. Rouget has also got Barastraight for that race who may well start favourite, and deserves to according to my ratings.

HELLO SUNDAY (38) showed his Prix Noailles form to be all wrong by narrowly missing second in a three way photo along with ZATONIC (38) who confirmed his status as Europe's fastest maiden with another big run.

Our old pal MOON MIX (35) was cut back to an inadequate ten furlongs here and demoted to the role of pacemaker for the winner. He did really well in the circumstances to finish so close and will surely be winning Group races when stepped back up to a mile and a half.

ANNA MONA A SMART FILLY

ANNA MONA (37) earned one of the best speed ratings I've given a 3YO filly at a middle distance this year when taking a hotly contested class B conditions race at Chantilly. Such races invariably attract a whole slew of well bred, unexposed runners from the top Chantilly stables and this was no exception.

Anna Mona won the race nicely, drawing four lengths clear of the rest of the field while dueling with the eventual runner-up PREMIERE NOTE (37). She ran as fast as the French 1000 Guineas winner according to my ratings.

Unlike Premiere Note, Anna Mona is not entered in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks). But my speed ratings say she's worthy of a shot at that sort of level. Certainly she should take a Group race. Her win certainly makes GOING DAY look good, since Going Day is the only horse to have finished in front of Anna Mona in three tries at middle distances.

Premiere Note's dam ran second in a Group 2 at 12.5 furlongs, and her best previous foal was a Listed winner at a mile and a half. So I suspect Premiere Note is going to improve when stepped up to that sort of trip. It's perfectly possible she could become a contender for the Prix Vermeille. Meanwhile she'll surely take a Listed or Group 3 contest.

PRICE TAG NOT THAT GREAT

Price Tag (37) passed the post a clear winner of the Poule D'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) before being disqualified. But my ratings say she's actually a slightly sub-par winner of the race. The strength in the French Classic generation this year seems to lie in the middle distance colts. In fact there's yet to be a seriously fast 3YO filly in Britain, Ireland, Germany or France so far. So I suspect we're going to see Price Tag, Speciosa and the rest superseded by better fillies as the season progresses.

TIE BLACK (36) was awarded the race and does have scope to improve over the extra distance of the Prix de Diane (French Oaks). I suggested she might win this race after she'd beaten colts in fast time in a provincial Listed race last time but clearly she was lucky.

Impressionnante (36) was hampered by the disqualified winner so ran a good race to finish a close third. She's entered in the Prix de Diane too but seeing that her dam was a Group 1 winning sprinter I'd say her best chance of compensation at the top level will lie in the Coronation Stakes. Though again, I have to say I'm expecting something new and better to emerge in that and later races for 3YO fillies.

AUSSIE RULES - BUT FOR HOW LONG?

Aussie Rules (35) ran a couple of ticks slower than the fillies to take the Poule D'Essai des Poulains (French 2000). So it's awfully hard for me to envisage him having a prayer when he steps up in distance for the Prix du Jockey Club. The French middle distance 3YO colts are a fierce bunch this season, way ahead of the milers.

Maybe Aussie Rules can run faster but I'm not enthused at this point.

MARABOUT DIRECTA STILL SMART AT SEVEN FURLONGS

MARABOUT DIRECTA (38) won a Longchamp conditions race over seven furlongs in a time that would win most Group 3 contests. He's always been smart at this sort of trip. In fact only Toylsome and Raffelberger, two of Germany's top sprinters, have ever finished in front of him at 6.5 and 7f in four starts.

There aren't many decent horses in France that specialize at seven furlongs. So I'd like to see him come back for the Prix Maurice de Gheest and Prix de la Foret as they are often the weakest Group 1's for older horses run in Europe.

RIVER RISKS IS IN THE WRONG COUNTRY

Sprint races for older horses are clearly regarded as novelty events in France. Only a handful are run each year. So a five furlong specialist like RIVER RISKS (37) has a really tough time of things. When a race over his distance does finally come along it's going to be targeted by all the other French speedballs. As a result even the low grade handicap that River Risks won at Chantilly the other day becomes a red hot affair. River Risks won it really well by over two lengths in pattern class time, despite the fact that his official rating was only 52.

River Risks has now won by a decent margin both times he's been able to run five furlongs. He's run 28 times at longer trips and lost every single time. If anyone's looking for a seriously well handicapped five furlong sprinter to import into Britain or Ireland here he is.

NUMIDE A SOLID PRIX DU JOCKEY CLUB CANDIDATE

NUMIDE (38) beat GENTLEWAVE (38) narrowly in the Group 2 Prix Hocquart. And it's easy to blame the fact that Gentlewave's jockey lost his whip a furlong out for the reversal of form. After all Gentlewave had beaten Numide a length and a half into second the last time they met and he's a horse that needs to be delivered very late, so the whip loss can't have helped him. Still the fact is Numide has now won three of the four times he's run ten furlongs or more with that defeat by Gentlewave his sole loss. My speed ratings say he improved a fair bit here, so I'm not going to knock his chances of confirming this form in the Prix du Jockey Club. The field will be much larger in the big race and that's got to increase the traffic problems for Gentlewave whose eccentric running style means he invariably turns into the homestraight with the entire field in front of him. I can see Numide taking the Jockey Club. This was a perfectly decent trial. He might well be good enough.

TIE BLACK COULD BE A CLASSIC CONTENDER

TIE BLACK (36) beat a field of colts to win a decent Listed race at Toulouse over a mile. Her time was the fastest over the course and distance in the last seven years.

How good Tie Black will prove to be is hard to say as so far, she's basically done everything that could be asked of her. She ran second on her debut and has won three of her four starts since. It may well be significant that her sole loss since her debut came the only time she was asked to run beyond a mile. In that race, over nine furlongs, she tired late and was narrowly beaten.

It could be that Tie Black is a miler pure and simple. She is after all by Guineas runner up Machiavellian out of a half sister to Breeders' Cup Mile winner Last Tycoon. Then again her dam and grand-dam both got ten furlongs plus and trainer Rancois Rahout has her entered up in the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and Prix Saint Alary over 10.5 furlongs as well as the Poule d'essai des Pouliches (French 1,000 Guineas) and Premio Regina Elena (Italian 1,000 Guineas) over a mile.

MISTER CONWAY READY TO WIN

French Tierce Handicaps are strange affairs. Firstly, the prize money is inflated to ensure there are always the required 18 runners or more for the big Tierce and Quinte bets (there are also reserve entries for the same reason). Secondly entry is pretty much limited to French-trained runners (because entrants are required to have run at a major French meeting previously, and also because the handicap ratings are kept falsely low for habitual runners in these contests). Tierce Handicaps are fiercely competitive. It takes a Listed class horse to win one and it's extremely rare for a horse to score two or more successes in a row. Nonetheless VALDORF (37) has now managed to win three Tierce handicaps following his success at Longchamp last week.

Valdorf seems to be best when fresh, so I suspect he won't be winning again till he's been rested. A more likely winner in the immediate future is the runner-up MISTER CONWAY (37).

Mister Conway was a smart horse in Greece. He won five of his last six races on the country's sole track, the dirt course at Athens, four of them Listed events. But he failed to cut it in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint Cloud on his French debut. In fact he'd finished out of the first four on all ten of his French starts till this run. Now he's racing at this level though I'd say Mister Conway is ready to start winning again, most probably in a Tierce Handicap but equally possibly in another Listed race if his connections decide to run him in pattern company again.

MANDURO PROBABLY NEEDS A STRONG PACE

I thought that MANDURO (18) was a good thing to win Europe's first Group 1 of the year, the Prix Ganay. But he only managed to finish third behind CORRE CAMINOS (22), the horse he'd beaten into second in the Prix d'Harcourt last time.

What I failed to take into consideration is that German horses like Manduro invariably need a strong gallop to produce their best. And with no foreign horses or jockeys involved in the Ganay, the small field was always likely to produce the slow early pace that French racing is renowned for. As it turned out the Ganay ended up being run four seconds slower than the earlier Tierce handicap over the same course and distance.

Actually Corre Caminos had earned a solid Group 1 class speed rating from me when chasing home Manduro, so he was by no means a fluke winner. It may well be that this very lightly raced horse has simply improved this season. It could also be that he doesn't need to be fresh as I previously thought. He's a threat to win again at this level, but I still think Manduro will turn out to be the better horse in more strongly run races.