'It looks a good opportunity to strike' - British and Irish trainers well represented in juvenile Group 1s at Saint-Cloud

While the Group 1 Criterium International (12.23) over a mile may have attracted only six runners there seems little danger of there being a false pace, with the Aidan O'Brien-trained Twain and Group 3 winner Maranoa Charlie having put up wildly impressive front-running performances last time. 

Maranoa Charlie is three from three after taking his rivals out of their comfort zone early in the Prix Thomas Bryon over course and distance, maintaining a cruising speed the others could not live with. 

"He continues to strengthen and I’m really looking forward to him at three," said Christopher Head, who trains the son of Wootton Bassett for a trio of Australian owners headed by Peter Maher. "He’s so interesting with the way he travels through a race and I love horses like him who give everything. 

Maranoa Charlie is the sole French-trained runner in either of Sunday's juvenile Group 1s at Saint-Cloud

"He has such a stride and you just have to make sure he is not too generous. We think he’s the right horse to run in a Group 1 at two and still progress as a three-year-old, and the owners are real sportsmen, they love the adventure."

Mark Crehan was similarly positive aboard Twain in a Leopardstown maiden last Saturday and, while he was the outsider of three Ballydoyle runners, there seemed little fluke to his six-length win. Supplemented this week, he will be partnered by Ryan Moore while Christophe Soumillon will be on board stablemate Mount Kilimanjaro, who scored on Arc weekend at Longchamp. 

The Ralph Beckett-trained Matauri Bay looks the chief danger. Jockey Hector Crouch will be hoping Twain and Maranoa Charlie go a stride too fast at the head of the race, setting it up for the son of Lope De Vega, who scored on his debut at Leicester in August before chasing home Field Of Gold in the Solario Stakes a few weeks later.

On his colt, Beckett said: "His work has been good and I'm happy with him, I hope we've picked the right race. He's in good spirits and he's ready for this."

The other juvenile Group 1 on the card, the 1m2f Criterium de Saint-Cloud (11.48), will be contested by just three runners, all from Britain and Ireland, after Fillies' Mile third Ballet Slippers was declared a non-runner by O'Brien.

His son Joseph is set to be represented by Tennessee Stud, who was beaten less than a length by Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell on his most recent start in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes. 

Tennessee Stud: chased home subsequent Futurity Trophy winner Hotazhell in the Beresford StakesCredit: CAROLINE NORRIS

Harvey, third behind Maranoa Charlie at Saint-Cloud this month for Peter Chapple-Hyam, and Green Storm, who Charlie Johnston believes "must have a very good chance", provide the opposition. 

Johnston added of Green Storm: "We’ve always thought plenty of him. I was very impressed when he won a small race at Yarmouth, and thought he probably emerged as the best horse in the race despite being beaten in a Group 3 at Newmarket last time.

"I think he would have won if he had got a lead for a bit longer. He appeared green in the closing stages, but still emerged with lots of credit. 

"Stamina is a pre-requisite for this race, and he has plenty. Conditions will be very testing, but that’s only a small concern. We’ve won the race twice in the last four years and it looks a good opportunity to strike again."

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