There are a trio of elite-level contests at Saint-Cloud on Sunday, with the Criterium International boasting arguably the most exciting protagonist in Maranoa Charlie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) who looks to cap an unbeaten juvenile campaign. Having won his first three starts by a cumulative margin of nearly 20 lengths, including the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon over this mile trip and track earlier this month, Peter Maher, Carl Fitzgerald and John Baxter's TDN Rising Star is all substance and little hype as he faces his sternest test to date taken on exclusively by overseas raiders.
Another TDN Rising Star in the line-up is Ballydoyle's Twain (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who is backed up eight days after his six-length debut win at Leopardstown which is a tactic that Aidan O'Brien has employed successfully at this meeting in the past. Ryan Moore favours him over the stable's Arqana Series Criterium d'Automne winner Mount Kilimanjaro (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), while Joseph O'Brien boosts a strong Irish challenge with the Goffs Million scorer Apples And Bananas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). Valmont, Ballylinch and Ecurie des Charmes' G3 Solario Stakes runner-up Matauri Bay (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is another major player.
Trio Set For Criterium De Saint-Cloud…
Disappointingly, Aidan O'Brien has had to withdraw the filly Ballet Slippers (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) from the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, leaving just three to compete in an edition of the 10-furlong test which has no French-trained runners and whose cast includes Harvey (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) who has already been exposed when a distant third to Maranoa Charlie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon. That leaves Coolmore and Westerberg's G2 Beresford Stakes runner-up Tennessee Stud (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Ahmad Al Shaikh's G3 Zetland Stakes runner-up Green Storm (Ire) (Circus Maximus {Ire}) in a probable match, with the former's form boosted on Saturday by Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}).
Grosvenor Square Takes On His Elders In The Royal Oak
Three-year-olds have won four of the last five renewals of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak at Saint-Cloud and Ballydoyle's Grosvenor Square (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) looks a likely candidate to add to that tally in the near-two-mile feature. In all likelihood, the liberating front-running tactics applied in The Curragh's G3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes which he dominated by 20 lengths will be adopted again by Ryan Moore but an easy lead is probably out of the question with Nick Bradley Racing's similarly freewheeling G3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes winner Al Qareem (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) in attendance along with the Wertheimers' defending title-holder Double Major (Ire) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}). He led at every step as he registered a wide-margin win in this 12 months ago, but this is a deeper race and the pace pressure is much keener this time.
If there is one who could benefit from any pace collapse it is OTI Management's course-and-distance G3 Prix Gladiateur winner and Arc fifth Sevenna's Knight (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), while there is always the prospect of another day in the sun for the veteran stayer supreme Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}).
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