Keith Melrose guides you through the two Classics at Chantilly on Sunday

With apologies for leading the analysis on a race run abroad with a cultural distinction, poor translation might cost punters in the Prix du Jockey Club (and Prix de Diane, to an extent). Calling these races the French Derby and Oaks respectively, as we often do in English-speaking countries, is a translation that is not quite pidgin, but all the same might earn you some funny looks.

The reasoning is pretty obvious. Both races are over a furlong and a half shorter than the Epsom Classics; the Diane since the outset, the Jockey Club since 2005. Furthermore, the French style of racing is even more dependent on tactical speed than in Britain and Ireland. If there is a true French equivalent to the Derby these days then it is the Grand Prix de Paris, which this year will not be run until September.

Racing is once again allowed in the Paris area, which means the middle-distance Classics can return to their traditional home at Chantilly. That the Poule d'Essai des Poulains and Pouliches were not run at Longchamp, instead taking place on Deauville's straight mile, could prove significant.