French Derby - full field post-draw analysis
- The Anteposter
- May 27
- 8 min read
Updated: May 30
Below we provide a horse-by-horse analysis of the Prix du Jockey Club (aka "French Derby"), to be run this Sunday 1 June over 10.5 furlongs at Chantilly racecourse, just north of Paris.
More analysis will be available on our youtube channel at some point on the afternoon of Friday 30 May,
Prices are correct as of the time of publication. This is now an NRMB (non-runner money back) market, so no antepost risk is assumed.
Camille Pissarro (7/2)
Wootton Bassett – Entreat (Pivotal)
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien Jockey: Ryan Moore
Career figures: 1202621-23
Draw: 1 of 18
Up-and-down juvenile campaign topped by G1 Jean-Luc Lagardere win on Arc day over seven furlongs; promising seasonal return against older horses then excellent third from a bad draw in French 2000 Guineas. Logical favourite but slight question mark for 10.5 furlongs on breeding, with even his trainer admitting it's an unknown; draws the rail, which is the shortest way round but increases the risk of trouble in running for this hold-up type.
Ridari (6/1)
Churchill – Ridasiyna (Motivator)
Trainer: Mikel Delzangles Jockey: Mickael Barzalona
Career figures: 21-15
Draw: 11 of 18
Temperamental type; promising but modest 2yo profile; eye-catching on seasonal debut, coming from well back; again closed well in French 2000 Guineas when still not looking finished article, snatched up just before line otherwise would have been third; not the quickest of starters so will need to negotiate a favourable passage but will surely have the stamina for this, obvious win threat.
Cualificar (7/1)
Lope de Vega – Qualify (Fastnet Rock)
Trainer: Andre Fabre Jockey: William Buick
Career figures: 34-111
Draw: 12 of 18
Unimpressive at short prices in first two starts late in ’24; three straight wins this spring over 9 and 10 furlongs; the form of those races looks pretty uninspiring, but no doubt this has been the plan for a while for powerful Godolphin/Fabre connections; impossible to rule out but others clearly have better credentials so looks short enough in betting.
Detain (9/1)
Wootton Bassett – Nisriyna (Intikhab)
Trainer: John & Thady Gosden Jockey: Christophe Soumillon
Career figures: 116-16
Draw: 6 of 18
Looked a super 2yo prospect on the all-weather but got bogged down on soft ground on first try on turf in G1 Futurity at Doncaster last autumn; beat high-class Luther on seasonal debut (all-weather again) then finished a length behind that colt in French 2000. Juddmonte have a very strong crop of 3yo colts this year so if they’ve chosen this one as their sole arrow for this dartboard it’s worth taking note.
Bowmark (9/1)
Kingman – Bound (Galileo)
Trainer: John & Thady Gosden Jockey: Tom Marquand
Career figures: 1-21
Draw: 8 of 18
Wide margin winner on debut in December, forging clear on Kempton’s all-weather surface despite running keenly; beaten a neck on reappearance in the listed Burradon Stakes at Newcastle (again all-weather) as 6/4 favourite; easy winner at 1/3 on turf debut just a fortnight ago though there was no depth at all in that 5-runner field; has a mountain to climb on form now sent straight to G1 level but connections hold this one in very high regard; anyone’s guess how good he might turn out to be.
Sinileo (12/1)
Siyouni – Solileo (Galileo)
Trainer: Andre Fabre Jockey: Maxime Guyon
Career figures: 1
Draw: 4 of 18
Only made his debut two weeks ago, winning a maiden over a mile at this venue by two lengths; massive leap in class to take on this G1 field on next start and no chance at all on his one piece of form to date; everything hinges on him taking a quantum leap forward, but interesting that legendary French trainer thinks he might be up to it and Maxime Guyon has chosen him over Nitoi; well drawn.
Luther (12/1)
Frankel – Give and Take (Cityscape)
Trainer: Charlie Fellowes Jockey: Kieran Shoemark
Career figures: 1215-24
Draw: 13 of 18
Some decent 2yo form but well beaten on final start in the G2 Royal Lodge (soft ground); bested by just a length by Detain on seasonal return on the all-weather, not having the run of that race, then ran a stormer from a terrible draw in the French 2000 to finish fourth; again draws wide here but not quite so badly (was 15 of 16 at Longchamp where bias is greater) and stall 13 has won two of the runnings of this race since the distance was reset in 20025; looks a live player on ground that should suit.
Nitoi (16/1)
Siyouni – Lady Zuzu (Dynaformer)
Trainer: Andre Fabre Jockey: Alexis Pouchin
Career figures: 1-21
Draw: 18 of 18
Just one 2yo start, an easy win in soft ground over 9 furlongs; beaten a couple of lengths at 2/1 on seasonal return by the talented Uther over this distance at Longchamp; didn’t have to improve to take the listed Prix du Suresnes here last time out by a neck from Leffard; form nothing to get excited about but he may well have more upside; horrible draw a huge negative, and Maxime Guyon prefers Sinileo.
King of Cities (16/1)
Dubawi – Ajman Princess (Teofilo)
Trainer: Richard Hannon Jockey: James Doyle
Career figures: 312-2
Draw: 10 of 18
Three decent races in novice company as a 2yo without setting the world alight; more impressive on sole 3yo start when a 1-length second to Almeric in the Feilden Stakes at Newmarket, the pair well clear of a decent yardstick in Nightwalker (beaten many lengths less in the Dante Stakes at York, has been supported recently as outsider in Epsom Derby market); this is another class level altogether but connection have stumped up the fee to supplement him for this and worth noting that his last start was run in a very fast time; drawn OK, there look to be worse outsiders.
Trinity College (20/1)
Dubawi – Hermosa (Galileo)
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien Jockey: Wayne Lordan
Career figures: 94142-12
Draw: 3 of 18
Like stablemate Camille Pissarro this one gained plenty of juvenile experience but unlike that one has not yet looked top class; won well on seasonal return from stablemate Acapulco Bay in a bog, then just failed to reel in outsider Sea Scout in Blue Riband at Epsom, looking extremely uncomfortable on that track and hanging badly; superbly bred colt could well have more to give, so a good showing is not ruled out from an excellent draw despite looking clear stable second string.
Parachutiste (25/1)
Dubawi – Paix (Muhaarar)
Trainer: Francis-Henri Graffard Jockey: Oisin Murphy
Career figures: 3-11
Draw: 17 of 18
Finished third on all-weather at Deauville on sole 2yo start; easy winner of maiden on seasonal debut at Saint-Cloud, then narrow winner of a conditions race at Longchamp (runner-up didn’t frank form next time out upped in grade); no convincing form claims and dreadful draw is even more off-putting.
Leffard (40/1)
Le Havre – Let’s Misbehave (Montjeu)
Trainer: Jean-Claude Rouget Jockey: Jean-Bernard Eyquem
Career figures: 112
Draw: 15 of 18
Won minor race on January debut in South of France; followed that up with a conditions race win at Toulouse in March; proved he belonged at a higher level by finishing just a short neck behind Nitoi in the Prix de Suresnes at Chantilly (was purportedly a gallop short going into that); promising and and runs for a French trainer who has won this race seven times but must take his form to a higher level to compete and badly drawn.
Curragh Camp (40/1)
Romanised – Delinda (Sea The Stars)
Trainer: Francis-Henri Graffard Jockey: Stephane Pasquier
Career figures: 123
Stall: 5 of 18
Easy winner on debut on the all-weather track here in February; 1.5 length second upped to 9 furlongs in a listed race at same venue in March; third to Cualificar in the G3 Prix de Guiche on the turf course at same venue a few weeks ago; seems to be finding things tougher with each step in class, difficult to make a case for in what are clearly the deepest waters he has yet tried.
Tipinso (40/1)
Pinatubo – Makeba (Makfi)
Trainer: Jean-Claude Rouget Jockey: Christian Demuro
Career figures: 4111-32
Stall: 9 of 18
Fourth on debut then racked up three wins on the trot as a 2yo, all at provincial French tracks, including a listed stakes race (not much substance to the form of those behind); well-beaten third in a conditions race at Toulouse on seasonal debut, then runner-up in a listed race on heavy ground at same venue last time out; nothing he has done makes him a player in a field like this on form, nor does his breeding suggest improvement for this step up in trip, but trainer deserves respect with his exceptional record in this race.
Azimpour (50/1)
Dubawi – Azmiyna (Galileo)
Trainer: Francis-Henry Graffard Jockey: Clement Lecoeuvre
Career figures: 1-24
Stall: 16 of 18
Debut winner at Longchamp over 9 furlongs (heavy) last October; just a neck behind Cualificar at same course and distance on seasonal return in early April (good), then fourth to Nitoi here in early May (G/S), with Graffard bemused by this subpar performance; interesting that his form ties in closely with one of the main French hopes in this race in Cualificar and by all accounts in "magnificent shape" per trainer; shouldn’t be completely dismissed, but not well drawn.
Al Aali (50/1)
City Light – La Zubia (Montjeu)
Trainer: Lucie Pontoir Jockey: Antony Crastus
Career figures: 3501-232
Stall: 7 of 18
One of the most experienced of the French contingent; three indifferent-to-downright-poor runs as a 2yo before winning final start when transferred to Deauville’s all-weather surface, albeit form looks pretty dreadful retrospectively; didn’t really improve in first two runs this season when placing on Chantilly’s all-weather surface, but took a big leap forward on the face of it when finishing just over a length behind Cualificar in the Prix de Guiche here last time out; connections will cling to that run as evidence of a leap in improvement on seventh start, but race was run in a glacially slow time and doubtful that he can contend in this company.
Frankly Good Cen (66/1)
Frankel – Miss Melbourne (Kentucky Dynamite)
Trainer: Victoria Head Jockey: Augustin Madamet
Career figures: 1-2
Stall: 2 of 18
Made first racecourse start in the final days of 2024, winning a maiden on Deauville’s all-weather track, Parachutiste (unbeaten since) among his victims; didn’t deliver as expected (11/10 favourite) on return at Compiegne just ten days ago, albeit beaten just a neck; no doubt there’s improvement in the locker but would have to deliver an exceptional leap in form to be competitive in this.
Heybetli (100/1)
Showcasing – Al Mayhala (Sea The Stars)
Trainer: Alicja Karkosa Jockey: Tony Piccone
Career figures: 21126-40
Stall: 14 of 18
Another experienced French colt; first four 2yo starts yielded two wins and two runner-up finishes, latterly in a G3; no disgrace in finishing sixth of nine in the Prix Jean Luc Lagardere on Arc day, 3.5 lengths adrift of Camille Pissarro; two-length fourth to Ridari on seasonal return in April, butquite a bit further behind that rival when a well-held 11th of 16 in the French 2000 Guineas; his recent form has plateaued at a level well below what is required here, so significant step up in trip will have to unlock plenty of improvement; difficult to make a case for and poor draw diminishes appeal further.
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