French fancies: five names to note on Monday's stellar comeback cards

After seven weeks without racing in the three major European nations, there will be followers of the sport who would happily look forward to a card of eight claimers. The revamped programme for this curtailed spring and the eagerness of French trainers to get their stars out means that we will be treated to racing of an altogether higher calibre, with some real star quality on show on Monday.

Victor Ludorum (Andre Fabre)

Andre Fabre chose the Prix de Fontainebleau last year to unveil subsequent Classic winner Persian King and it was always the logical place to return with Victor Ludorum, whose short two-year-old campaign comprised three wins in the space of 36 days.

The last of those was a hard-fought but ultimately decisive success in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on very deep Arc-day ground. If all goes well on Monday then Victor Ludorum is in line to attempt the same Classic double of the Poule d'Essai des Poulains (June 1) and the Prix du Jockey Club (July 5) achieved by his late sire Shamardal in 2005.

Khayzaraan (Freddy Head)

Unusually the Prix de la Grotte will feature no runner who contested last October's Prix Marcel Boussac but that highlight for two-year-old fillies would surely have been on the agenda for Khayzaraan had she not suffered a minor setback shortly beforehand.

Before that hiccup Hamdan Al Maktoum's homebred had produced two impressive demonstrations of front-running and trainer Freddy Head was singing her praises even before the shutdown as one of his best three-year-old prospects.

Sottsass and Victor Ludorum among big names declared for Monday return

Khayrazaan's talented half-sister Tantheem ultimately proved to be a sprinter but a combined winning margin of 13½ lengths in her two victories over a mile last autumn suggest no problem with the trip for the daughter of Kingman.

Tropbeau (Andre Fabre)

Lady Bamford enjoyed one of her best days as an owner-breeder in France when Star Of Seville won the Prix de Diane and her love affair with the country now extends to having this daughter of Showcasing in training with the country's 30-time champion trainer.

Tropbeau (maroon silks, number 11) chases home Millisle and Raffle Prize in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes last SeptemberCredit: Edward Whitaker

Tropbeau showed herself to be extremely smart when picking up a pair of Deauville Group contests last summer before just being run out of it by Millisle and Raffle Prize in the Cheveley Park.

From an extremely speedy family that experience of the Rowley Mile might yet prove invaluable, assuming she proves in the Prix de la Grotte that she stays a mile.

Sottsass (Jean-Claude Rouget)

With all of the above excitement plus the Group 3 Prix Saint-Georges over the idiosyncratic five-furlong chute, Longchamp will have already served up some enticing action by the time the feature race of the day, the Prix d'Harcourt, rolls round, the seventh of a ten-race marathon.

But undoubtedly the star of the day is Sottsass, an imperious winner of the Prix du Jockey Club in June 2019 who proved himself best of the Classic generation in Europe when chasing home Waldgeist and Enable in the Arc last October.

His trainer Jean-Claude Rouget proferred the comment in the unsaddling enclosure that "we'll just have to come back next year and win it at four".

That journey starts here, with the Prix Ganay on June 14 as his first main target. Enjoy the ride.

Lou Buck's (Francois Nicolle)

As if the racing on offer at Longchamp were not enough of a reward for the long wait, racing fans will be able to continue the celebrations with a fine jumps card at Compiegne later in the afternoon.

The Listed Prix William Head is usually run at Auteuil and has thrown up candidates for the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris in the past.

Stable tour special: top French trainers on the horses they can't wait to run

Lou Buck's has suffered an injury-interrupted career but is unbeaten over fences and looked as good as ever when making a winning return to action over hurdles at Compiegne shortly before the shutdown. A potential future star whatever happens this spring.

Read more:

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