Thesecretadversary could be rerouted from York to Deauville as Fozzy Stack ponders Marois in light of Bow Echo and Gstaad injuries

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Fozzy Stack and the owners of Thesecretadversary could reverse their decision to bypass Sunday's €1m Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques le Marois after the trainer described Deauville as coming back under "serious consideration" on Wednesday.

Stack had originally pinpointed the Sky Bet City of York Stakes over seven furlongs as Thesecretadversary's next target, reasoning that his best chance of adding a second Group 1 to his CV would come over the same trip he won the Prix Jean Prat last month. 

Thesecretadversary is currently 5-1 second favourite for the York race, which was elevated to Group 1 status in 2025, but the son of St Mark's Basilica appeared among 12 names left in the Jacques le Marois on Wednesday morning.

Following Bow Echo's retirement and Gstaad's setback, Stack will speak with Cayton Park Stud and the Magnier family on Wednesday evening about the possible switch.

"With Bow Echo and Gstaad out there’s been a fairly big change in the race," Stack told the Racing Post. "I need to speak to the owners later on this evening but it’s under consideration."

Thesecretadversary with Fozzy Stack and Christophe Soumillon after winning the Prix Jean PratCredit: Racing Post/Burton

Asked if those two high-profile defections had changed his thinking, Stack said the decision remained "50-50", adding: "I just left him in there today to have a look. I just need to study it a bit closer now to see what we’ll do. There’s a declaration stage tomorrow so we’ll have to make our minds up by then".

Thesecretadversary ran in both the Newmarket and Curragh versions of the 2,000 Guineas, pulling away his chances in the first and getting boxed on the rail in the second.

A drop back to seven furlongs appeared to bring about improvement, first in the Jersey Stakes and then the Jean Prat, with Seamie Heffernan and Christophe Soumillon both riding attacking races from the front.

French 2,000 Guineas winner Rayif, who was fifth behind Thesecretadversary in the Prix Jean Prat, is among his potential rivals. Rayif won on the same day as the Jacques le Marois last season and 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.

"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. 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 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 more...

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