'I think we've picked the right race for him' - Art Power chases Prix Maurice de Gheest glory

The Maurice de Gheest is as domestic as a foreign Group 1 will get. It is not uncommon for British and Irish trainers to have the majority of the field, so for all that seven out of this year's ten looks to be a record, it is not miles out of the ordinary.

There are no Irish-trained runners this year and that might be partly because favourite Art Power always beats them at home. He has been to Ireland five times and is unbeaten, with a total winning margin of 19 and a half lengths, which is remarkable for a sprinter.

Part of the reason Art Power can put that distance into his rivals in Ireland is because of soft ground. He has form on good and even a bit firmer, but he thrives under more testing conditions.

Deauville has had several inches of rain this week. Given the ground might even be heavy, going considerations are more important than whether Art Power will adjust to the sea air. This looks a good opportunity to break his run of 11 Group 1 defeats, which includes six finishes in the frame.

Art Power is a prominent racer and will break from stall nine. The stalls are on the near side for the Maurice de Gheest, but note that numberings are the other way round from what you would get in Britain, so Art Power is virtually in the centre of the track. Egot in stall one has the rail.

Art Power and David Allen saunter to victory in the Group 2 Sapphire StakesCredit: Patrick McCann

It is uncertain where the action will concentrate. Sometimes it is down the middle, sometimes on the rail. In recent runnings of this race, when the ground has been soft, the rail has tended to see more action. Still, if you had your pick with no other knowledge you would lean middle to low.

The Brits drawn in that neighbourhood include Rohaan, Brad The Brief and Spycatcher. The first two are big prices, although cases can be made for both.

Rohaan has been on a run of largely excusable poor efforts and he hits the line hard over six furlongs, so this extended longer trip ought to suit.

Brad The Brief is in some ways an inferior imitation of Art Power. He has enjoyed his biggest day in Ireland and has loads of form on soft ground. He has twice run well in France, on very soft ground at Chantilly.

Spycatcher is the main threat to Art Power according to the bookmakers and might be the one to extend the favourite's agonising run in Group 1s.

After a promising but abortive 2022, he has improved in leaps and bounds this season. He won at Thirsk, placed under top weight in the Victoria Cup, shaped best in the Chipchase and then slammed a Group 3 field over six furlongs here four weeks ago.

Last year, Garrus went from winning the same race to finish third in the Maurice de Gheest. Spycatcher was more convincing and has landed in a weaker running of this Group 1. He has ample form beyond six furlongs and on soft ground, plus a covers-all-bases draw.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose

Stars align as Art Power goes in search of maiden Group 1 success

Art Power heads to the Normandy coast off the back of his best ever performance on Racing Post Ratings, a mark of 122 posted when dominating the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes at his beloved Curragh.

That win came off the back of an excellent fourth in the July Cup and it would seem the Tim Easterby-trained six-year-old is in just about the form of his life.

Easterby is confident another away day and the testing conditions will add to what is already a clear chance on the book of Art Power gaining a maiden Group 1 victory.

"He takes the travelling well, goes well overnight and is very adaptable," said Easterby. "He likes a bit of cut in the ground; in fact he goes on soft, heavy or anything. He gets seven furlongs and this should suit him. I think we've picked the right race for him."

What they say

Nicolas Caullery, trainer of Fort Payne and King Gold
Fort Payne's preparation has gone well and you can forget his last run, when the two jockeys got in each other's way the whole race. The negative would be if the ground became really testing and we'll make a decision late on. He's a real good-ground horse and we've had mad amounts of rain so we'll see. King Gold was third two starts ago behind Fort Payne, when there wasn't really enough pace in the race, and then won last time in really good style. He's on the up and in better form than when winning the Group 3 last time. I've never had him so well and soft ground is no problem, though if it gets very heavy, it becomes a question mark for everyone. His work has been fantastic and I think he has an awful lot of positives.

Hugo Palmer, trainer of Brad The Brief
Having elected to come to this race rather than the Lennox, I'm really glad to see there's been a deluge during the week, with more forecast. Chester was a disaster – it couldn't have gone more wrong for him – but he's been great since then. His work on Tuesday morning was really pleasing and he looks a million dollars. We thought about this race for him last year, but the ground wasn't right for him. I feel like lots of the horses I'd be really scared about taking on in the sprint division aren't there.

Saint Lawrence: Wokingham winner returns to Group 1 level on SundayCredit: Alex Pantling

Archie Watson, trainer of Saint Lawrence
I've been very happy with him since Ascot and he deserves to step up and take his chance in a race like this.

Andre Fabre, trainer of Egot
He's a strong horse and he will handle the ground, which might disadvantage some of the others. I'll be happy if he's placed.

Karl Burke, trainer of Spycatcher and Cold Case
Spycatcher is a very straightforward horse at home and goes over there in good form. He couldn't have been more impressive in the trial and, probably because of the ground, the race doesn't look the strongest Group 1. He'll love the ground and if he reproduces that run, I think he's got a great chance of at least being placed. Cold Case loves cut in the ground and although he's probably never encountered it this deep, he certainly likes it soft. He ended last year on a really good roll and started this year brilliantly. Things went a little bit awry at Haydock and we found a few little issues coming out of that race, but we've ironed those out. He probably wasn't 110 per cent going to Newbury, which may have cost him the race. He's a lovely horse, but whether he's Group 1 level I’m not sure. It's certainly worth a shot on this type of ground.

David Evans, trainer of Rohaan
He's been disappointing. He's coming back from a setback and I think it's taken a while for him to get his confidence back. Salisbury and Royal Ascot were both no-goes. He then stayed on very well on soft ground at Ascot, but we took him to Newbury expecting a good run and he was disappointing again, when I think he might have been a bit too far out of his ground. He has gone on the ground, but the six and a half furlongs might find him out, although he ran well in this last year. On his best form he'd nearly win this and he still feels good at home.
Reporting by Scott Burton

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