'He's in the right race': Bin Suroor happy with big hope Thunder Snow

3.35 ChantillyPrix Jean Prat | Group 1 | 1m | 3yo colts and fillies | ATR

St James's Palace Stakes third Thunder Snow faces only four rivals when he bids for a second Group 1 success in the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly on Sunday.

The Godolphin colt was a five-length winner of Saint-Cloud's Criterum International Stakes last autumn, after which he wintered in Dubai and won twice at Meydan.

When sent to the United States for the Kentucky Derby he rather disgraced himself with an extraordinary bucking bronco display as soon as the stalls opened.

However, he has already found redemption with a fine second to Churchill in the Irish 2,000 Guineas before his good effort at Royal Ascot. This is traditionally one of Europe's weaker Group 1s and he will be a warm order.

He is the regular mount of Christophe Soumillon, who has yet to win the race.

Trainer Saeed Bin Suroor is optimistic and said on Saturday: "He's doing well. He ran a big race at Ascot and he's worked really well since. He's in the right race."

The going at Chantilly already looks set to be on the easy side, but Bin Suroor would welcome any further rain.

He said: "The ground should be okay, but softer would be even better. He won very easily on soft ground at Saint-Cloud and it was too quick for him at Ascot."

As for the Churchill Downs display, he said: "We don't know what happened in the stalls there, but it had never happened before and it's never happened since, either at home or at the races. The cheekpieces he has now just help him concentrate."

The main danger appears to be Trais Fluors, a Group 3 winner over course and distance last month who would be a record sixth winner of the race for Andre Fabre should he stretch his unbeaten run to five.

Among the three fillies who complete the field – who receive 3lb from the two colts – is Gold Luck, a half-sister to 14-time Group 1 winner Goldikova, trained by Freddie Head. So far she has just a Group 3 win to her name, but she cannot be ruled out of calculations.