French racing tips: Scott Burton with his best bets at Pau

Fancytastic
6.22 Pau1pt each-way

Fontannes
8.07 Pau
1pt win

Pau is well-known as French jump racing's winter headquarters, in which guise the mud is often hock-deep and the emphasis is on jumping and stamina.

Now pressed into service as a rapidly deployed replacement for coronavirus-restricted Auteuil, it remains to be seen how the track rides in spring conditions.

The chase course still has a line of obstacles down the back which will demand plenty of respect but, compared to its Parisian big brother, most professionals expect it to play more to speed rather than staying power.

Former Grand Steeple-Chase candidate Punch Nantais is the headline act in what is a mouthwatering end to Tuesday's card, setting a daunting standard for his six rivals to meet in the Prix Andrea (8.07)

For him to be a realistic betting prospect after two years and six days on the sidelines would require additional layers of faith, and trainer Guillaume Macaire has already spoken of his uncertainty surrounding how the track will ride "out of season".

Francois Nicolle has made no secret he is wary of how his Paris runners will cope with the demands of an unfamiliar venue, and is likely to urge caution as the watchword for his jockeys.

That tempers enthusiasm for Foreland, who has claims of reversing form with Grisy Apple's from their meeting in last November's Grade 2 Prix Morgex, undoubtedly the best recent form on show.

Though Grisy Apple's outran his odds that day there was no fluke about the performance of Emmanuel Clayeux's charge, though the trainer believes deep late autumn conditions will see him at his best.

Indeed with the calendar thrown into confusion all three trainers may be looking five or six months down the line.

Clayeux also fields Fontannes, who has looked progressive in two wins since the turn of the year and who has a victory at Pau under his belt.

The son of Saddler Maker is only the fifth-highest rated horse in the lineup yet must concede 4lb to all but Foreland.

But Fontannes looks a typical slow-burn project for his trainer while crucially, he may have been more tightly wound up for this date, wherever it is run.

The Prix de la Muette (6.22) pits several unexposed five-year-olds against the highly-tried Korevsky and Fandango, who will be making his return to action after falling at Compiegne back in October.

Neither sets an unbeatable standard, and there is likely to be plenty of support for course winner Sumsam.

But he is on a retrieval mission after failing to complete at Auteuil second start up, while his debut victory at Pau was achieved when two of his closest pursuers came down two out.

Isabelle Gallorini fields two improvers in Toutezibure and Fancytastic.

Toutezibure has the seal of a win at Auteuil last time out, though conditions that day were really testing and he coped with the extreme conditions better than his rivals.

Fancytastic has been running at less high-profile venues but finished off in fine style to score at right-handed Bordeaux-Le-Bouscat in February.

Conditions were much more akin to what Fancytastic will encounter here and Alexis Poirier's mount can go well at rewarding odds.

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