French 2,000 Guineas winner Rayif heads 12 still in contention for Sunday's €1m Prix Jacques le Marois after Bow Echo's withdrawal

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French 2,000 Guineas winner Rayif is among the potential stars on target for Sunday's €1m Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, after 12 horses stood their ground on Wednesday morning.

While the race suffered a major blow on Tuesday with the news of Bow Echo's injury and retirement, there is no shortage of talent bidding to land one of Europe's most prestigious prizes at a mile.

Bow Echo's owners could still have a big say in matters with the Karl Burke-trained Zeus Olympios, while Aidan O'Brien could send one or both of Puerto Rico and Precise.

Thesecretadversary is reportedly being lined up for the Sky Bet City of York Stakes a week on Saturday but has been left in the Marois, while two highly-regarded Japanese contenders, Sixpence and Strauss, are already in Deauville ahead of the Group 1.

Yasuda Kinen winner Sixpence (black cap) runs in Sunday's Prix Jacques le Marois at DeauvilleCredit: Masakazu Takahashi

The William Haggas-trained More Thunder and Amo Racing's Power Blue add further British and Irish interest. 

As a two-year-old, Rayif won on the same day as the Jacques le Marois last season and in the run-up to Sunday's race he has pleased the Aga Khan Studs team and trainer Francis Graffard, who sent out Samangan to land last Sunday's Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest.

Racing manager Nemone Routh said: "He worked well on Tuesday, Francis and Mickael [Barzalona, jockey] were both happy with him and all being well, he will run on Sunday."

Rayif surprised connections with his ability to handle testing conditions in the French Guineas, which Graffard was forced to head to without the aid of a prep run, while the Sea The Moon colt missed a clash with Bow Echo in the St James's Palace Stakes after spiking a mild fever just before he was scheduled to travel to Ascot.

He was subsequently rerouted to the Prix Jean Prat over seven furlongs, where he finished behind Thesecretadversary and stablemate Samangan when a never-nearer fifth.

Rayif won the Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Longchamp in MayCredit: Racing Post/Burton

"The ground was quite fast when he won on Marois day last year and we’ve always thought he was better on good fast ground," said Routh. "He didn’t run a great race last time out in the Jean Prat but the jockeys said they didn’t go very fast and Rayif wasn’t up with the pace. He was dropping down in trip and it didn’t happen,

"But we’ve run and won over the track before. He had a bit of an interrupted prep for the Poule d’Essai and then he got rerouted to the Jean Prat. At least this time he’s going into the race we want to run in with a good preparation, having not had the ideal season for lots of little niggling reasons."

Prix Jacques Le Marois (Deauville, Sunday)
Paddy Power: 5-2 Precise, 3 Thesecretadversary, 9-2 More Thunder, 11-2 Rayif, 6 Zeus Olympios, 14 Sixpence, 16 Puerto Rico, 20 Dreamliner, 25 No Lunch, Power Blue, Strauss, 33 Sir Tommy Cen.

Prix Jacques le Marois remaining entries after Wednesday's forfeit stage

Zeus Olympios Karl Burke
Dreamliner Stephane Wattel
Sixpence Hiroyasu Tanaka
Strauss Ryo Takei
More Thunder William Haggas
No Lunch Christophe Ferland
Sir Tommy Cen Patrik Olave Valdivielso
Rayif Francis Graffard
Power Blue Robson Aguiar
Thesecretadversary Fozzy Stack
Puerto Rico Aidan O'Brien
Precise Aidan O'Brien

Read these next:

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