Sean Leavy rides Rashabar in tomorrow's Prix Morny© Photo Healy Racing
Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar could set up a potential trip to the Breeders’ Cup should he run well in Sunday’s Prix Morny at Deauville.
The two-year-old, by Holy Roman Emperor, caused an 80-1 shock at Royal Ascot under teenager Billy Loughnane and has been aimed at this race ever since.
It is a Group One trainer Brian Meehan has won twice before, in 2000 with Bad As I Wanna Be and then nine years later with Arcano.
Rashabar runs in the famous green and blue colours of the late Robert Sangster for Manton Thoroughbreds and the thought of running in the Breeders’ Cup is already proving tempting.
Sam Sangster of Manton Thoroughbreds said: “He’s in incredible form at home and Brian feels he has improved.
“It’s a big day for the syndicate and everyone involved and we’re incredibly excited.
“He’s got the French premiums, which was definitely part of our decision to come here. He had the option of running in the Phoenix (at the Curragh), but with the premiums, this was too big of a temptation.
“Brian feels this horse is the ideal candidate and straight after the Coventry, the first thing he said to me was ‘Prix Morny’.
“It’s a stallion-making race as well, so we have to bear that in mind and I feel he is a horse who after this is going to step up in trip – and if he keeps going the way we think he is, then the Breeders’ Cup could be on the ticket for later in the year.
“He’d be the perfect horse for the Breeders’ Cup I think, but we have to get past Sunday first, then hopefully the world is his oyster.”
Karl Burke has two live chances and he is another UK-based trainer to have won the race before, with Unfortunately in 2017 leading home a one-two for the yard when beating Havana Grey.
Like Rashabar, Burke’s Shareholder won at Royal Ascot in the Norfolk Stakes and is running over six furlongs for the first time, while stablemate Arabie has already won two Group races in France.
“They are two exciting colts,” said Burke. “With Shareholder, it has been well documented what we think of him and hopefully he can prove it, but I wouldn’t dismiss Arabie, as he is so tough. He’s not a flashy horse and I think he has gone under the radar a bit – he’s as hard as nails.
“They go there in great form and have travelled over well – they have taken it in their stride.
“The travel would have been a little bit of a concern with Shareholder, but having said that, he has done plenty of travelling before with the sales and stuff and he’s apparently taken it well and eaten up and we’re very happy with him.
“He’s been good since his break and you are always a little concerned. I think in the past, you have given these horses a break thinking you are doing the right thing and then they lose a little bit of muscle condition.
“And then when you bring them back, you have to work them differently, a little bit stronger than normal, rather than race-to-race.
“But he has come back and been training well and looks in great condition.”
Whistlejacket, behind Shareholder at Ascot and beaten into second by the filly Babouche in the Phoenix Stakes last week, but a July Stakes winner in between, is out again for Aidan O’Brien.
“We’re very happy with him and looking forward to it,” said O’Brien.
“The plan was always to go for the two races, we were thinking of that before the Curragh.
“He came out of the race very well and he’s a fast horse.”
A further British-trained runner is Simon and Ed Crisford’s filly Arabian Dusk, winner of the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes last time out at Newmarket.
