Well-bred Frankel colt and million-dollar Medaglia D'Oro filly set for debuts

With Monday's Longchamp card that signalled France's return to racing after lockdown comprising mostly stakes races and handicaps, Tuesday's Saint-Cloud meeting brings bloodstock enthusiasts some welcome maiden races with intriguing pedigrees to pick over.

The focus of interest from a breeding perspective is the pair of mile maidens for unraced three-year-olds, one for each sex.

Tuesday's French race cards

The Prix Kashmir II at 12.10 local time (11.10 BST) for colts and geldings features 13 runners and the pick on pedigree is arguably Guy Pariente's homebred entire Hurricane Cloud, trained by Pascal Bary and set to be partnered by Pierre-Charles Boudot.

He is by the great Frankel and is a half-brother to dual Group 3 winner and King's Stand Stakes third Goken, who stands at Pariente's Haras de Colleville and has his debut two-year-old runners this year.

Andre Fabre has three colts with attractive pedigrees engaged in the race.

Juddmonte homebred gelding Redshank, the mount of Augustin Madamet, is by stalwart WinStar Farm sire Speightstown – in the limelight of late thanks to unbeaten Arkansas Derby winner Charlatan – out of a winning Empire Maker three-parts sister to multiple Group 1 runner-up Phoenix Tower.

Al Shaqab Racing's homebred Westeros meanwhile is by the upwardly mobile Kingman out of Umm Bab, an unraced Sea the Stars half-sister to Oh So Sharp Stakes winner Raymi Coya. Vincent Cheminaud has been booked to ride the colt, who is bred on the same cross as Listed scorer Raakib Alhawa.

Fabre's third entrant, Undark, is a Karakontie half-brother to Souper Colossal, who was Grade 2-placed in the US, out of Soaring Emotions, a winning daughter of Kingmambo and Silken Glider Stakes second Luminous Beauty. Stephane Pasquier will get the leg up on the colt, who will carry the Niarchos family's silks after being bought from breeder Gainesway for $250,000 as a foal at Keeneland.

Henri-Francois Devin also has a notable runner in Vasco De Gama, who was signed for by Stephen Hillen for €300,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale and represents Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum.

Bred by Mayfair Speculators, Ecurie des Monceaux and GB Partnership, he is by Dansili out of the Group 3-placed Invincible Spirit mare Some Spirit, from the Park Appeal dynasty of Cape Cross, Diktat and Iffraaj. Mickael Barzalona takes the ride.

Another in the race whose pedigree entitles him to plenty of respect is Whaze, trained by Freddy Head for owners and breeders the Wertheimer brothers. He is by New Approach out of the Arch mare Sarach, winner of the Grade 2 Honeymoon Handicap Stakes and fourth in the Grade 1 American Oaks.

First-class fillies

The Prix Praline for unraced fillies at 12.40 local time (11.40 BST) and features a runner with a million-dollar price-tag in Joyous Sounds.

The Medaglia D'Oro filly, trained by Fabre for Godolphin and with Barzalona aboard, cost an even $1m from the Runnymede Farm draft at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Her dam Esprit De Vie, an unraced Street Cry sister to Ribblesdale Stakes winner Princess Highway and half-sister to Irish St Leger scorer Royal Diamond, was a $500,000 breeding prospect purchase by Runnymede Farm and Haras d'Etreham.

Fabre holds a strong hand in this maiden, too, as he is also responsible for Coolmore homebred Rose D'Etoile, a Zoffany half-sister to last year's Prix Cleopatre runner-up Villa D'Amore out of Highest Ever, an unraced daughter of Galileo and Prix Jean Romanet heroine Alpine Rose. Boudot has the ride on her.

Carlos Laffon-Paris also has two in the race who look likely contenders on paper.

Arabian Belle, with Olivier Peslier up, is a No Nay Never sister to Listed Star Appeal Stakes winner No Needs Never. Bred by Summerhill and Lynn Lodge Stud, she was sold to Shawn Dugan on behalf of owner Al Shira'aa Farms for 525,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

The Wertheimer brothers' homebred Metaphore is by their Prix du Jockey Club winner Intello out of Listed scorer Never Green, and is thus a three-parts sister to Listed winner Galipad and to Mathematicienne, the winning dam of Group 1-placed pair Matematica and Soustraction. Maxime Guyon is booked.

Night Of Thunder could have another winner from his highly acclaimed crop, as he is represented in the race by Moggins, a filly out of Forest Maiden, a useful daughter of Invincible Spirit and Prix de l'Opera victress Lady Marian.

Moggins, who was in-utero when Ecurie des Monceaux bought the dam from Godolphin for 100,000gns at the Tattersalls July Sale of 2016, is trained by Henri-Alex Pantall for his wife Yvette.

Two-year-olds to note

The Saint-Cloud card kicks off with the Prix Kefalin (11.10 local time/10.10 BST), a two-year-old race over six furlongs.

It features two juvenile runners representing the new partnership of trainer Andrew Hollinshead and owners the Marnane family – the Biraaj filly Dontellyourmother and the Exosphere filly Spherical.

Amy Marnane recently told the Racing Post that the family's French-based two-year-olds were “just about ready to explode” and explained the story behind their home stallion Biraaj, a Listed-winning son of Iffraaj closely related to Wootton Bassett, sire of Monday's Prix de Fontainebleau winner The Summit.

The contest is also set to feature the first runner for dual Group2-winning two-year-old and freshman sire Estidhkaar – Forefront, a colt out of the winning Arcano mare Archange trained by Josephine Soudan for Kildaragh Stud.

Perhaps the best-bred entrants are Chiri Tsubaki, a Siyouni filly out of Vadariya, a daughter of Sea The Stars and Group 3 winner Vadapolina – she was bought by Daniel Cole for €115,000 as a yearling at Arqana and is trained by Hiroo Shimizu for Shigeo Nomura – and Imperial Beauty, a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor and the Listed-winning Bahamian Bounty mare Amazing Beauty who is in the care of Markus Nigge for Christa Zass.

The Hollinshead-Marnane axis is also represented in the two-year-old race at Marseille Pont de Vivaux at 5.10 local time (4.10 BST) on Tuesday.

Their entrant is Tempt Me Not, a Kheleyf half-brother to Listed-winning and Group 3-placed sprinter Bluster.

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