Godolphin Pair Handed French Assignment Godolphin´s Formal Decree and Stage Gift will take each other on in the La Coupe at Longchamp on Thursday.The Group Three contest over 10 furlongs has attracted a field of eight with Jean-Claude Rouget´s Numide, who beat Visindar on his latest start, the pick of the home team.Both Godolphin runners are relatively new recruits for the team as Formal Decree won the Cambridgeshire last year when in the care of Alan Swinbank, while Stage Gift won the Darley Stakes for Sir Michael Stoute.The duo represented Ismail Mohammed during the Dubai Carnival, at which Formal Decree ran with great credit, before being transferred to Saeed bin Suroor.However, Godolphin´s trainer has warned both will benefit from their first run in Europe this season.'Both horses are working well ahead of the French race. They are ready to run and we are looking for a good effort from each of them. I am happy with them but they will improve for the race,' he told www.godolphin.com.(C) PA Sport
