Burke looking to Hankelow for second Classic success in France

Karl Burke may have just fallen short of Classic success at Newmarket last weekend but could land more happy memories in France when Hankelow bids for Emirates Essai Poulains glory at ParisLongchamp.

Evolutionist rattled the crossbar in the 1000 Guineas for the Spigot Lodge handler, who is still waiting to win one of the five crown jewel events on home soil. But there have been some fine days on the continent in recent years for the Middleham handler, who won the Prix de Diane with former stable star Laurens in 2018.

Now he looks to make an impact with his Autumn Stakes hero, who is seeking to carry the colours of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid to a second big-race triumph in as many weeks after Bow Echo’s 2000 Guineas triumph on the Rowley Mile.

Burke said: “Hankelow is in great form. Rain would be welcome for him, but I am looking forward to seeing him run.

“I think he is a quality horse who could appreciate a slightly longer distance, but a mile on soft ground is a good starting point.”

Hankelow is the sole British contender, but Aidan O’Brien has a strong hand once again in a race he won 12 months ago with Henri Matisse.

This time around it is course winner Puerto Rico who carries Ballydoyle hopes, having progressed rapidly through the ranks to end the year with no only Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere success, but also a second Group One in France in the Criterium International.

Second to Puerto Rico on Arc day last October was Christopher Head’s Nighttime, who is one of two for the Wertheimer brothers along with Christophe Ferland’s Elastic.

Nighttime was narrowly denied by Andre Fabre’s reopposing Komorebi in the Prix de Fontainebleau on his return, but his team anticipate more to come.

The owners’ racing manager Pierre-Yves Bureau said: “Nighttime has changed enormously over the winter. He is developing into a very handsome colt and I absolutely do not think that his two-year-old season has left any mark on him.

“On the contrary, he seems to have taken his races very well. He made an excellent reappearance and I think he will improve again from that.”

Returning to the Lagardere, it was Francis-Henri Graffard’s Rayif in third and the Aga Khan Stud-owned colt will now bid to add to his trainer’s ever-growing CV on his return to action.

Nemone Routh, the owners’ racing manager in France, said: “Rayif worked very well on Tuesday morning.

“He reassured us, and I really felt that we were seeing the horse we know again. We simply hope that the ground will not be too soft, as he is clearly more effective on a fast track.

“He did not make his seasonal reappearance because he had not fully convinced us in his final piece of work before the Prix de Fontainebleau. We were coming out of a slightly difficult period at the yard, with several horses not running as well. We therefore preferred to give him time.

“He is now back to his best level in training, which is encouraging. He is a straightforward, well-made horse with a very good turn of foot. In the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere where he finished third, he ran well, but his acceleration was less decisive, probably because of the ground.

“On Sunday, he will be tackling a mile for the first time. That does not particularly worry us, as he is a relaxed horse who does not pull and knows how to settle before producing his turn of foot.

“The big unknown remains the weather. If it rains a lot and the ground becomes very soft, without a prep run, that could make things more complicated.”