Henri Devin is enjoying a good time of it at present and the well-bred Affaire En Or could provide him with another winner at Lyon this afternoon.
The daughter of Doctor Dino was ultimately well held when fifth at Saint-Cloud 18 days ago, but she kept on nicely in testing conditions under a sympathetic ride on debut, and the front pair look potentially smart.
The Prix de Diane entry is encouraging, and she certainly has a pedigree that suggests there is more to come; her sister won her first two starts before finishing second in the Diane, while the brother was Grade 1-placed at Auteuil. This doesn’t look much of a race and though favourite Counteractor is an obvious contender based on pedigree/connections, Affaire En Or’s experience is a big plus.
12.25pm Lyon – 1pt win Affaire En Or @ 5/2 (most firms)
Later on the card, the progressive Woff looks to have plenty going for him in the class 3 over a mile (1.42pm). He took a little while to get the hang of things last term, but won his maiden impressively at Saint-Cloud in September and was on the wrong side at ParisLongchamp next time.
He quickened impressively to score with plenty to spare on his return, on the AW at Chantilly in March, and there should be plenty more to come. His dam was similarly progressive at three, winning at Listed level.
Carlos Laffon-Parias is in sparkling form, with eight winners from his last 21 runners, and the booking of Arthur Mosse catches the eye. His claim has been used to excellent effect in recent weeks, winning on four of his six rides for the yard in the past month.
1.42pm Lyon – 1pt win Woff @ 9/4 (most firms)
In the concluding handicap, I can’t resist having a small bet at a big price on Alfieri.
Though he’s now a nine year old, he was good enough to win the class 3 on this card last year (beating rivals rated in the 40s) and was rated 38 when claimed out of this yard in August.
He went downhill for Francois-Xavier Belvisi, but was claimed back by JP Gauvin at the end of February and returns from a couple of months off on a really dangerous mark of 32.5.
He handles the ground, Gauvin is amongst the winners and Congiu is 4-12 on him, so the 20-1 on offer is worth taking.
2.52pm Lyon – 0.5pt win Alfieri @ 20-1 (most firms)