Key questions as Laurens and Happily go in search of Classic glory

3.05 Chantilly
Prix de Diane Longines (Group 1) | 1m2½f | 3yo | ATR/RUK

A decade ago Zarkava won this race, while it's five years since Treve burst on to the international stage. Are we due another superstar in what looks a high-quality edition?

Is Laurens more than just a battler?

As a dual Group 1 winner, John Dance's filly comes into this race deserving to be the favourite.

Yet most British and Irish bookmakers have the daughter of Siyouni a distant third-best behind Shahnaza and Happily, despite Laurens having finished in front of the latter in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas before defying one of the leading home hopes here, With You, in the Prix Saint-Alary.

"She's travelled over brilliantly and we're looking forward to it," said trainer Karl Burke, who won his first Group 1 at Chantilly with Lord Shanakill in 2010.

"It's been the plan for a long time. She's a very good filly and I think they're underestimating her a little because all her wins have been by a narrow margin.

"The ground is likely to be good to soft and that will be perfect for her. The last run was the first time she has raced around a bend and that can only be a benefit."

Happily: ready for the extra distance?

Happily has excellent course form, having defeated a subsequent Classic-winning colt in Olmedo on Arc day in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

That run suggested that, in time, she would need a longer trip than her celebrated brother Gleneagles, whose wins at three all came over a mile.

A pair of third-placed efforts in mile Classics suggests she has retained a fair amount of ability from two to three, but she will probably need to improve for the extended mile and a quarter to cope with some seriously progressive rivals.

"She ran very well in the Guineas at Newmarket and again in the Irish Guineas. We've been happy with her since her run at the Curragh," said trainer Aidan O'Brien.

"We haven't asked her to do a lot but what she's done has pleased us. We've always thought that stepping up to a mile and a quarter would suit her."

Shahnaza: another Aga Khan superstar?

She has achieved nowhere near as much as several of her more experienced rivals, but Shahnaza, an easy winner of the Listed Prix de la Seine at Longchamp, has long been at the head of the market.

Not that Alain de Royer-Dupre, who already has six victories in this race to his name, is taking the opposition lightly for the daughter of Azamour.

Royer-Dupre said: "There are plenty of fillies with a chance and I think it's wide open.

"She's a very handy filly you can put anywhere in a race but she hasn’t been helped by the draw because, if it gets fast, being out wide is a big disadvantage. However, from every other point of view everything is good."

Head: Luminate or With You the best?

Freddy Head has trained a catalogue of great fillies but, despite trying with stars like Goldikova, Galikova, Terrakova and Queen's Jewel, he is yet to hit the target in this race.

In Luminate, the mount of Frankie Dettori, and With You, a narrow runner-up to Laurens in the Saint-Alary and the choice of stable jockey Aurelien Lemaitre, he has two excellent chances to put the record straight.

Head said: "I think Luminate has a good chance. She's a good filly who has plenty of stamina. Soft ground would be a help but that doesn’t look likely.

"I don’t think there's a great deal between the two fillies and it might depend on how the race plays out. With You has more speed, while perhaps Luminate will be even better over 2,400 metres [mile and a half]."

He added: "With You has come out of the Saint-Alary really well and physically she's made a lot of progress since that run."

What the rest say

Carlos Laffon-Parias, trainer of Castellar and Soustraction
The Cleopatre was the first time Castellar had needed to fight because all her other wins had been easy. She responded well to Olivier Peslier’s urgings and she also showed that this trip is no problem to her. She's fresh and well after a four-week gap from her last run, which is perfect timing. She's a really handy filly and however the race plays out – whether there's pace or not – she won’t mind. I'm quite confident. We knew there were fillies in the Saint-Alary that had the race as a proper objective and we wanted to have Soustraction fresh for the Diane, so in that context she ran well. I think the extra distance will be fine for her.

Musis Amica was a running-on sixth in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches

Francis Graffard, trainer of Homerique
She's done well because we've given her time. The filly's in great form and I'm very happy with her condition, which is why we supplemented her. She's already shown she handles Chantilly and, while she's run only twice, she has a good mind on her and I don’t have too many worries on that score. She can be quite cold in the run but she has great acceleration and a lot of quality. It’s a high-class race but I have her in top shape and I expect her to run right up to her best.

Andre Fabre, trainer of Musis Amica
She's training very well. Her form before was in very soft ground but she's a good mover and shouldn’t be affected too much by the drying conditions. The distance will certainly help her.

Nicolas Clement, trainer of Amazing Lips
She has a good outsider's chance and is working well. We've had a great preparation and she looks great. There's not much between her and some of the top fillies. If we could be anywhere in the first three I'd be delighted.

Yan Durepaire, trainer of Lady Athena
When she won last year in Toulouse, Jean-Bernard Eyquem told me he thought we had something special, and we knew she'd improve a lot from two to three. She won with her ears pricked the other day so I know she wasn't flat out. I'm not concerned about being drawn ten of 13, and she's a very easy ride. I'll be disappointed if she's not in the top three.

Ground and weather

There has been no significant rain in Chantilly since Tuesday and the track had dried out to 3.4 (good to soft) on the penetrometre by Saturday. With a dry if overcast outlook, going just on the easy side of good looks likely.

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