Hughie Morrison hopeful Quickthorn can bag first Group 2 success at Longchamp

Quickthorn bids for Group 2 success on the final race of the Bastille Day card at Longchamp in the Prix Maurice de Nieuil (8.35 Sky).

Tom Marquand travels to France to take the ride on the Hughie Morrison-trained five-year-old, who was last seen making every yard in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown at the end of May.

Morrison said: "It seems the right race. The Gold Cup would have come too quick for him after Sandown and I think two and a half miles around Ascot on fast ground can really push you to the limit. He's a galloping horse and this [1m6f] is probably his minimum now."

Lady Blyth's homebred son of Nathaniel failed to make an impression on his previous trip to Longchamp in the Prix Royal-Oak but that came at the end of a hard season and Morrison has deliberately tried not to turn the screws too tight ahead of this.

Hughie Morrison has attempted to keep Quickthorn ticking over since winning the Henry II StakesCredit: Michael Dodge

"We haven't overdone it, what with the travelling and everything," said Morrison. "I haven't overworked him and I hope he’s retained his fitness from earlier in the season. If we hadn't run here we might have waited for the autumn so I've tried not to over-train him this summer. But this has always been a race on my radar and it fits in well."

Morrison added: "He arrived overnight and had a little hack around Longchamp on Wednesday morning, and it rode nicely."

If there is a challenger for favouritism among pari-mutuel bettors it will undoubtedly be the consistent The Good Man, who won over a furlong and a half further in the Group 3 Prix de Barbeville.

Most recently he was closing the first two down at the line when third to Skazino and Joie De Soir in the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier, having got caught further back than ideal off a slow pace.

"I'll be disappointed if he's not in there fighting out the finish with the English horse," said trainer Stephane Wattel. "To me those two are a little bit above the others.

"If Quickthorn runs his usual race and puts some pace into things then that will help us. It's rare to have a horse that you make plans for and they always work out. The Good Man always shows up in his races."

Despite there being no British or Irish runner in the Group 2 Prix de Malleret (6.33 Sky) for three-year-old fillies over the full Grand Prix de Paris mile and a half, it is far from a race without interest.

Fall In Love caused a minor surprise when finishing fifth behind Nashwa in the Prix de Diane for trainer Hiroo Shimizu at odds of 75-1 on track and 107-1 online.

Raclette has slowly regained momentum after a slow start to her campaign and Andre Fabre sent her out to score in the Listed Prix Melisande last time over a mile and a quarter.

Baiykara and her entourage after winning the Prix de Royaumont at ChantillyCredit: Racing Post / Scott Burton

Most interesting of all potentially is the Aga Khan's Baiykara, who broke her maiden in the Group 3 Prix de Royaumont over a mile and a half on Jockey Club day.

Trainer Francis Graffard said: "She had already shown something in her first two starts and last time she confirmed what we thought of her in winning the Group 3. This is the logical next step with her."

Baiykara holds an entry in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, having shown enough when runner-up on her second racecourse start on May 10 to be given the option when entries closed 24 hours later.

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