One could argue that the market for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) is about to change, with the Epsom Derby (G1) winner Troy City appears to be looking elsewhere and connections are yet to fully commit to plans for the Prix du Jockey Club (G1) hero Look at de Vega .
Irish Derby (G1) Winner Los Angeles is the most promising candidate among Coolmore’s potential candidates, but in Delius They have a young horse that is not well known but has made a visual impression in three outings, far beyond what he has achieved officially.
The fact that he comes from the Jean-Claude Rouget yard that has produced two of the last four Arc winners has added to his enthusiasm ahead of the Grand Prix de Paris (G1) on July 13 at ParisLongchamp, an event that could see the son of Frankel into the top of the 3-year-old European rankings.
The 1 1/2-mile Grand Prix, open only to 3-year-olds (not geldings), attracted eight entrants. Jean-Bernard Roth, assistant to Jean-Claude Rouget, the trainer of Blame pony Sibayan and Delius, describing the latter as “a big, slow colt” who was beginning to mature.
“Christophe Soumillon rode (Delius) for the first time at the Prix du Lys and he feels, as do we, that he has real potential for the future, even though he is still quite raw,” said Roth. “He worked well on the track at Deauville on Tuesday and I think he will give us a good indication of the future.
“The amazing thing about (Sibayan) is that he seems to be able to handle any type of surface. The main question with him is the distance, which he is trying for the first time. He has run well before at Longchamp and he is a big, strong horse with a great stride, so we think this task will suit him, although he has to prove he can compete at this level.”
Aidan O’Brien had four possibilities at the start of the week but only declared the winner of the Queen’s Vase (G2) State of Illinois This means that the owner has insurance in case Delius is found to have a problem, as well as reasonable assurance that the race will not become boring.
“He had a great win at Royal Ascot and we were delighted to see him there,” said O’Brien. “He seemed to come out of the race well, so we decided to bring him to France for this race.”
Standing in their way are two proven horses at the classical level, with Sosie finished a brilliant third behind Look de Vega in the Jockey Club race, where it took him a while to see daylight on the straight.
Additional Participants Tamfana who may have paid a late price for her early efforts in the Prix de Diane (G1) over a shorter trip, looks set to be ridden more cautiously by Oisin Murphy. Earlier, the daughter of Hollow Soldier made the finishing kick to take fourth place in the One Thousand Guineas (G1).
Mondo Man was also added after rallying from near-impossible positions to finish fifth in the Jockey Club and fourth to Calandagan in the King Edward VII Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot.
