Can Tashkhan build on almighty Cesarewitch effort to land Prix Royal-Oak?

Tashkhan has threatened to be a Group 1 winner over staying trips ever since chasing home Trueshan in the 2021 Long Distance Cup, although the weather gods haven't offered him too many opportunities when the rain has really got into the ground since. 

Last season he wasn't entirely right after finishing a distant third to Kyprios in an attritional Prix du Cadran, but Longchamp once again offers the teak-tough son of Born To Sea his optimum conditions in the final Group 1 of the French season, the Prix Royal-Oak (2.50).

Lately, trainer Brian Ellison has asked Tashkhan some tough weight-carrying questions in the major staying handicaps and he comes here off an almighty effort when third under a welter burden to The Shunter and Pied Piper in the Cesarewitch.

"It was an unbelievable run and he got beaten by two good horses, giving them a stone," said Ellison. "It was as good a performance in a handicap as you can have. He seems fine but you don’t know until you run them. He is tough and it’s his last run of the year. While the ground is heavy, which is what he wants."

Ellison added: "The only worry is that it’s only a fortnight after the Cesarewitch and there’s the travelling, it’s eight hours down to Dover and a stop overnight. But he's 100 per cent and spot on."

Saffie Osborne punches the air as Metier lifts the Chester CupCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Harry Fry will be making his first visit to Longchamp to saddle Metier, a classy hurdler who has not been seen in either code since landing the Chester Cup under Saffie Osborne.

Fry said: "Ideally, we'd have got a prep run in but he went away to stretch his legs around Salisbury early in the month."

The French handicapper rates Metier 10lb behind Tashkhan and the model of consistency that is The Good Man, although Fry is hopeful a penetrometer reading of 4.6 or heavy will level the playing field. 

"He'll need to step up but he won the Chester Cup the hard way from a wide draw and coming from a long way back under a brilliant ride from Saffie Osborne and, hopefully, there’s more to come with conditions in his favour."

Novel Legend found carrying 10st in a virtual typhoon not to his liking in the Irish Cesarewitch, but was previously progressive in staying handicaps, notably when chasing home last Saturday's Long Distance Cup third Sweet William.

"On ratings, he's got to improve a bit but he stays well and likes soft ground, having raced well when it was very testing in the spring," said trainer James Fanshawe. 

"His form is quite strong in handicaps, including when he was second to Sweet William giving him weight at Newbury. He's gone the right way all season, apart from his last race at the Curragh when there were unusual conditions."

Double Major (far left) wins the Prix Chaudenay at LongchampCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Royal-Oak has gone the way of three-year-olds in five of the last eight seasons and the Christophe Ferland-trained Double Major represents the Classic crop. He will encounter radically different conditions to when defeating his peer group in the Prix Chaudenay at the start of Arc weekend.

"There's a question mark over his ability on that ground, which you can also say for a lot of the rest of the field," said Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager to Wertheimer et Frere. "He's not a huge, heavy horse and I hope that might be a help in getting through it. 

"He's the only three-year-old in the field, which is another challenge, albeit he’s getting weight accordingly. He's shown he's among the best stayers in his age group, while he's very consistent and loves Longchamp."

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