By Sean Cronin
Sunday's €380,000 G1 ARC Prix Maurice de Gheest shares this weekend's European top billing with Dusseldorf's 166th G1 Henkel-Preis der Diana (German Oaks) and, while the field for that Classic was finalised on Wednesday, declarations for the Deauville highlight were not confirmed until Friday morning. There were no defectors from the overnight set of 16 nominees as all main characters–G1 Prix Jean Prat victor Puchkine (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), G1 July Cup hero Mill Stream (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire} and dual G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire})–stood their ground for Sunday's renewal of the 6 1/2-furlong dash.
TDN Rising Star Puchkine, drawn in stall two, is joined by Jean Prat runner-up and fellow Jean-Claude Rouget-conditioned TDN Rising Star Havana Cigar (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), who gets stall 11. Jean Prat third Beauvatier (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), another TDN Rising Star, has been supplemented at a cost of €27,360 and has drawn stall nine. Bermuda Racing's G3 Summer Stakes victrix Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), the second of two supplemented, will depart from stall seven. Khaadem was not on one of his going days when finishing behind Mill Stream and beating just one of 10 rivals at Newmarket. He will emerge from stall one while Mill Stream, undefeated in two prior visits to the Normandy track, is drawn in eight.
Others high on the list of potential winners include last year's hero King Gold (Fr) (Anodin {Ire}), who followed a well-trodden path to this staging post with a repeat success in June's G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot; and Nurlan Bizakov's hitherto undefeated homebred Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), who took his record to a perfect five-for-five with victories in this term's G3 Prix Djebel and G3 Prix Paul de Moussac. The ensemble cast also features G1 Commonwealth Cup fifth Classic Flower (GB) (Calyx {GB}), last month's G3 Prix de Ris-Orangis winner Shouldvebeenaring (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), last year's third Saint Lawrence (Ire) (Al Kazeem {GB}), last term's G1 1000 Guineas third Matilda Picotte (Ire) (Sioux Nation) and dual Group 3 winner Exxtra (Fr) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}).
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