Juddmonte double handled in French Guineas bid Eight days on from a narrow reverse in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, owner-breeders Juddmonte are double-handed in their bid for victory in the French equivalent at ParisLongchamp on Sunday. Hot favourite Field Of Gold flashed home when beaten half a length by Ruling Court over the Rowley Mile last Saturday and connections will be hoping for better fortune this weekend, with his John and Thady Gosden-trained stablemate Detain and Andrew Balding’s Jonquil contesting the Poule d’Essai des Poulains. Jonquil appears Juddmonte’s number one hope following his successful stable debut in last month’s Greenham Stakes at Newbury, while Detain has his sights raised after winning a valuable conditions race at Chelmsford on his first start as a three-year-old. Barry Mahon, Juddmonte’s European racing manager, said: “Jonquil was impressive when winning the Greenham and Andrew had been very happy with him in the lead-up to the race. His work had been good, so he delivered what we had been expecting, which was good. “We think the track on Sunday will really suit him and the ground is fine, so we would be hopeful of a good run. “Detain won a very strong race at Chelmsford and it was a big pot of prize-money, so it was well supported. John and Thady had both said to me back in February that was the plan, to go to Chelmsford and then on to France. “John and Thady were keen to avoid soft ground as we found at Doncaster last year (when sixth in the Futurity Trophy) he doesn’t like it and it was always the plan to start on the all-weather before hopefully getting nice ground in France. “I thought he did it well at Chelmsford and I imagine there will be plenty of improvement to come from that run as well.” Detain renews rivalry with the runner-up from Chelmsford, the Charlie Fellowes-trained Luther, while Aidan O’Brien runs Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Henri Matisse, as well as Camille Pissarro and Serengeti. Another leading contender from Ireland is Jessica Harrington’s Hotazhell, who won four of his six juvenile starts, including a narrow Group One success over Derby contender Delacroix in Doncaster’s Futurity Trophy in late October. “We’re drawn two, which I’m happy with rather than 18, and he’s fairly straightforward, so we’re hoping for the best,” said Harrington. “His preparation has been very straightforward. Good to soft ground would be ideal, I think it might be a bit tighter than that, but he’s won on good ground. “I can see him going a mile and a quarter, but we’ll see how Sunday goes first.” The raiding party is completed by Charlie Appleby’s Aomori City, who was last seen finishing third behind Field Of Gold in the Craven Stakes, while the chief hope for the home team appears to be Ridari, winner of two of his three starts for Mikel Delzangles in the colours of the Aga Khan Studs. Nemone Routh, the owner’s racing manager in France, said: “Ridari has been doing well since his win in the Prix de Fontainebleau. Mikel Delzangles finds that the colt has calmed down, especially in his morning work. “He’s a horse who can be keen, which is why he wears a hood. So it’s very positive if he’s calmer in training, and we hope he behaves the same in the afternoon. “He’s in good form. There are a lot of runners, so it won’t be easy, but if we get a good run we believe he can run well.”
