Graffard hoping Wooded can chop down Prix Texanita rivals

1.12 Chantilly

Prix Texanita (Group 3) | 3yo | 6f | SKY

In the last six years the Prix Sigy - usually run in April over this course and distance - has thrown up a three-year-old sprinter of genuine quality on several occasions.

With the loss of so much time this spring, the Prix Texanita, which was already due to be rerouted in 2020 from the now closed Maisons-Laffitte, fills in for the lost Sigy, and the race has attracted a competitive, and potentially classy field of sprinters.

Two of the brightest stars among Chantilly's new wave of trainers, Henri-Francois Devin and Francis Graffard, field well-bred runners that make their reappearance having shone at two.

Juddmonte's Alocasia represents Devin and found only French 1,000 Guineas favourite Tropbeau too strong at Deauville last July and duly collected a Listed win at Maisons-Laffitte in September.

"She's done really well and I'm expecting her to run very well," Devin said of the Kingman filly.

Henri-Francois Devin: expects Alocasia to run wellCredit: Zuzanna Lupa

Francis Graffard registered two seconds and a third across the Pattern races at Longchamp and Toulouse on Monday and will hope that Wooded can come home first.

Twice placed at Group 3 level over seven furlongs last autumn, Wooded comes back in trip for this target in preference to the Prix du Pont Neuf 24 hours later.

"Wooded has a lot of natural speed and so I've chosen the 1,200 metres here rather than Longchamp on Thursday," said Graffard. "He is in good form but he wouldn't want the ground too deep.

"He took a long time to come to hand after the winter and in his case it has been a great benefit to have the extra time of the lockdown. He is a beautiful-looking horse and very strong."

Barberot runs "two serious fillies"

Deauville-based Yann Barberot can at least be assured of having both sides of the draw covered, with Abama housed on the rail in stall one and My Love's Passion out in the wing in 12.

My Love's Passion chased the Simon Crisford-trained A'Ali home in the Prix Robert Papin last July, but then missed the rest of the season with a hairline fracture of the knee.

"Everything is back in order with her now and I was really pleased with her comeback third after such a long absence as the ground was heavy and that is not her preference at all," said Barberot. "She found herself in front and she only cracked very late on."

Abama finished in front on that day while another to reoppose from that Listed event is the Pascal Bary-trained Wanaway.

"Abama goes on any ground and certainly doesn't mind it heavy," said Barberot. "It won't be that deep at Chantilly but it will be soft and I think that will suit both of them.

"They are serious fillies that have shown a lot of speed. My Love's Passion ran a very fast time in the Papin while Abama's maiden win was also pretty quick."

Sogorb stable in rare form

Of Fabrice Chappet's two runners, Porcelaine - a half-sister to his Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Precieuse - looked set to preserve her unbeaten record last time out in a Listed race before just being run out of it in the final half furlong

The stable also runs Bavaria Baby, a graduate from handicaps who will not need to find too much improvement to feature after finishing a close fifth behind Wanaway and the Barberot pair here in March.

Philippe Sogorb marked the return of racing on Monday with an across the card Pattern-race treble and runs Xaaros, who benefited from two runs before the break.

"He has plenty of pace and has proved he is better than Class 2, having won twice at that level," said Sogorb. "In terms of this kind of opposition he will need to show he has improved mentally but I don’t have much choice in terms of where to run him."

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