Vichy preview: four things to note as Arc sixth Soft Light makes his return

Vichy takes centre stage on Friday with a ten-race card featuring some familiar names both equine and human. Here are the key ones to look out for . . .

Star name

Soft Light may have failed to win last year, but he produced a number of notable performances in defeat for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and owner Claudio Marzocco.

The four-year-old finished second in a pair of Group 2s, the Prix Hocquart and the Grand Prix de Deauville, along with a fifth behind Japan in the Grand Prix de Paris and the sixth to Waldgeist in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp.

Soft Light returns in the 1m4f conditions contest (1.58 Vichy) under jockey Cristian Demuro and faces seven rivals.

These include the one-raced winner Sublimis, a fashionably bred Godolphin runner from a staying family, and Ashtara, who hails from the famous Aga Khan family of Ashkiyr and the former David Pipe-trained hurdler Ashkazar.

Upward curve

Zarkava was a brilliant racehorse, winner of the Prix de Diane, Prix Vermeille and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2008 among other races, but was not always the most straightforward.

Her son Zarkallani started his career promisingly before coming up short in both the Prix du Jockey Club and, more disappointingly, the Listed Prix Nureyev at Deauville and makes his return in the Prix du Rocher de Bouligny (1.24).

He did bounce back with a smooth success on the all-weather at Chantilly in March but has since been gelded in the hope he can continue to head in the right direction this year.

Quick out of the blocks

Since racing returned in France on May 11, trainer Andrea Marcialis has had runners in five two-year-old races, winning three of them and saddling placed horses in the other two.

Two of the winners and three of the placed runners have been fillies for the Chantilly-based Italian, and he saddles two more fillies in the opening 5f claiming contest.

Up And Go finished fourth on her debut at Chantilly with stablemate White Candle, who also runs in this race (1.15), finishing tenth that day.

Only one of Marcialis's winners since the resumption of racing has been older than two, so he looks to be a man to continue to keep an eye on in the next couple of weeks.

Getting to know you

With racing at the more familiar courses in Paris and the east of France suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, the lesser-known tracks are becoming more prominent.

Vichy is a flat, right-handed course in the centre of the country. It has one main track, an inner medium track and a 1,000m (5f) straight track.

Racing usually takes place at the course from May to September.

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