Though he has to give weight away all round, Norwegian Sir should be well-suited by conditions at Nantes today and looks a shade overpriced in the mile class 2 (11.35am).
He won handicaps off 34 and 36.5 in the spring, the second of them a Quinte on very soft ground at ParisLongchamp. Given a break (for the first time in over a year) after that win, he has actually run better than the form figures suggest on his three runs back and he travelled really nicely in a Quinte back at ParisLongchamp last time.
Though he has plenty of weight here, this is an easier assignment and he looks to be coming to the boil. The relatively quick turnaround is no concern, given two of his three wins have come after 5 and 12 days off (this will be 13 days).
11.35am Nantes – 1pt win, 0.5pt place Norwegian Sir @ 7-1 (all firms)
The claiming hurdle at Nantes (2.32pm) is about as weak as you could find and at the prices, it is well worth chancing the long-absent Siouska.
She didn’t show a great deal on her sole start, in a 2m2f novice hurdle at Senonnes back in 2019, though that was a considerably stronger contest. It also came for now-retired trainer Richard Chatel, and the main reason for supporting Siouska today is the switch to Jerome Delaunay.
Delaunay is 33-157 this year (21%) and doesn’t run horses for the sake of it, so the fact this one has been brought back from a two-year absence is notable. Delaunay’s team are in typically strong form, and his record in claimers in the past year reads 131F4315F151, with five winners from 12 runners in the grade.
A sixth foal, all five siblings are multiple winners, which offers further encouragement in a race in which the top two in the market are rated a lowly 53.
2.32pm Nantes – 1pt win Siouska @ 9-1 (various, though 10-1 available with Paddy Power and Betfair)
ONE TO NOTE…
I can’t put him up as a tip, but keep an eye out for Dirty Guerty in the opener at Nantes.
Adrien Fouassier’s son of Charm Spirit finished a highly-promising fifth on his debut in a 6.5f maiden at ParisLongchamp in June, staying on to very good effect in the final furlong, having missed the break and raced in last.
His next run was at Deauville, where he veered left out of the stalls and was pulled up immediately. That raises questions about his temperament and he hasn’t been gelded since, but it’s notable that he was prominent in the betting for both races and also held a Group 3 entry at Deauville in mid-August (as well as numerous class 2 entries), so he is presumably very well-regarded.
Though he was a cheap purchase as a yearling, he is out of 1m3f Listed winner Bassamba, herself a half-sister to two black-type performers, notably French 1000 Guineas runner-up Baine, so there is plenty about in the pedigree.
