Fabre hits the Epsom trail with Akihiro and Waldgeist
Prix Greffulhe (Group 2) | 3yo | 1m2f | Turf | RUK
Andre Fabre may have missed on victory with Al Wukair's 2,000 Guineas challenge at Newmarket on Saturday but he has two more colts with Classic aspirations here in a race in which he prepped Pour Moi for Epsom glory six years ago.
Waldgeist was described by Fabre as a long-term project for the Curragh version of the Derby after landing the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud over course and distance at two.
He will encounter similarly testing conditions on his return to action as in the Criterium and, given he is half-owned by the Coolmore partners, should not be discounted from going to Epsom if he shows up well here.
Fabre's other runner Akihiro looked in need of the run when losing his unbeaten record to stablemate Soleil Marin at Chantilly last month and was added to this race at the second entry stage.
Despite that, his two-year-old form is at least as strong as Waldgeist's but his chances of travelling to Epsom might have increased had Plumatic – also owned by the Wertheimers and trained by Fabre – won the Prix de Guiche on Sunday.
Pierre-Yves Bureau, racing manager to the Wertheimers, said: “Akihiro has been well since his comeback, when he was up against race-fit rivals. Tomorrow we will be able to see much better where we are with both him and Plumatic. Akihiro has never run on soft ground, so we’ll see, but the race is early in the programme so hopefully it won’t be too bad.”
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