Today’s best bets for Clairefontaine can be seen below. Race Sharp offers free racing tips for all meetings at Clairefontaine throughout the season.
The 2.50pm is a typically trappy Listed event over 12 furlongs and features the potential future Group performer Wheelie (2-1f) at the head of the market, followed by Control Tower, the confirmed Group performer at 7/2.
Wheelie is from a tremendous German family, has won her last three and has even been nominated for the Group Two Prix de Pomone at the end of next month by her trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. She’s going the right way but needs to find 3kg of further improvement on the next two in the betting and looks underpriced this morning to me – especially when you consider that connections will probably be happy with a black type placing today for their progressive filly.
Control Tower ran well last month in a slightly warmer event, featuring a couple of other confirmed Group performers. Tipped by Race Sharp Extra at 11/2 to defy a penalty, she finished well but is better over staying trips and in much softer conditions. Connections will be keen to keep her ticking over but she is one for the autumn.
We played the percentages this week with the returning O Trasno and got it right – I think the percentage call here at the prices is third favourite Any Time Soon. By Camelot and out of star mare Aquarelliste, she might look exposed on paper having had 10 starts and no black type win, but on her last three starts she has had the misfortune to bump into star mares Jannah Flower, Love Child, Ebaiyra (favourite for a German Group One today) and even Grand Glory (3rd in the Prince of Wales’ Stakes last month).
It’s definitely not sexy to make excuses for horses being beaten by superior rivals, but she will be winning a Listed ‘Any Time Soon’ and should at least hit the frame today. The Fabre string has been in better form, so it’s not one I’ll be going wild on.
2.50pm Clairefontaine – Any Time Soon 1pt each-way @ 5-1 (all firms)
We found the winner of the Grand Prix du Lion d’Angers on Race Sharp Extra this week so let’s have a go at the Grand Prix de Clairefontaine!
We were big fans of Henk Grewe last season but the German trainer’s form in France this year has been very subdued. It’s not been amazing back home either – he employed Italy’s Alberto Sanna as his stable jockey in February but they’ve already parted company. Grewe can get things rolling again with German Derby 4th Assistent in this race, who should be too good based on how the winners and placers in recent German Derbies have fared since.
Patient readers have the opportunity to see 2022 Derby winner Sammarco take on Ebaiyra in the 1.20pm at Munich before placing their bet on this event, but Assistent carries a 2kg penalty and is well found in the market at 15/8.
Garachico should notch up a Black Type win this summer and it’s a measure of the regard that he is held in at home that he not only began his career in France’s best maiden last year at Deauville, the Prix de Crèvecoeur, but that he was stepped up into Group company after his maiden win at lowly Evreux.
He’s filled in minor places in Group races this season and can have his day in the sun today down in grade. He’s closely matched with Master Gatsby on figures (priced at 100/30 here) and I wouldn’t read into that Chantilly form too literally as he tried to go with Simca Mille – who then almost won the Group One Grand Prix de Paris. These are calmer waters today.
Galashiels is priced on connections at 7/2 and has plenty to find on form with the selection.
3.58pm Clairefontaine – Garachico 1pt win @ 9/2 (all firms)
