Prix Royal-Oak preview and best bet

Man On The Spot preview

There are three UK entries in this and a couple of them have decent claims. Metier thrives in the mud and won the Chester Cup back in May. Saffie Osborne keeps the partnership intact. TASHKAN has a more recent victory at Chester to his name, however, and was an excellent third under a huge weight in Cesarewitch just over two weeks ago. He was fifth in this in 2021 when not getting the run of the race and third in last year's Prix du Cadran so he has a touch of class.

The Good Man has had a good season and won a Group 2 over 1m6f here in July while Al Nayyir has won twice in Listed company this year, beating Skazino on the first occasion. Diva Donna was runner-up in a Group 1 mares' contest at the Arc meeting and Double Major is also respected having won the Group 2 Prix Chaudenay here on the same afternoon.

View from connections:

Brian Ellison believes if Tashkhan can reproduce his brave Cesarewitch run he will win Sunday’s Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp.

Carrying top-weight, the five-year-old hit the front inside the final quarter-mile, but his welter burden told inside the last furlong and he was passed by The Shunter and eventually Pied Piper.

Ellison rated it as a career-best effort, despite it coming in a handicap, but does harbour some doubts about whether those exertions may have taken the edge off his stable star.

“He ran a blinder in the Cesarewitch. You wonder if he had too hard a race there but you don’t know until you run them, that’s the danger,” he said. “To be fair to the horse, he is tough, he seems well at home, I’m quite happy with him even though he’s just been ticking over and it’s his last run of the year, so we’ll see.

“If he performs like he did in the Cesarewitch, he’ll win, won’t he. I think it was just about his best-ever run when you take into account the weight he was carrying. All the ratings people tend to agree, too. It was some run.

“He was only beaten by two proper horses, giving them a stone. The winner has proven his class by winning at Cheltenham and Pied Piper was running against Champion Hurdle horses most of last season.

“I don’t think there’s anything like those two in this race, but the danger is we’ve got to travel all the way to France. But he is tough and if he can repeat his Newmarket run he won’t be far away.”

Fellow British raiders in what is the French version of the St Leger include Chester Cup winner Metier and James Fanshawe’s Novel Legend, while the home team is headed by the three-year-old Double Major.

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