Henri Devin has made a decent start to the year and Jumeirah King looks a little overpriced to give him further success in the 1m3f maiden at Fontainebleau this afternoon (2.00pm).
He finished a promising runner-up on debut on very soft ground at ParisLongchamp last October (1.5L in front of the re-opposing Djerbanni), and his third at Lyon next time can be marked up quite a bit, as he was the only one to make up any significant ground from off the pace.
Devin produced Gold Mountain to finish a short-head second in this corresponding race on his reappearance last year, having finished fourth in the same Lyon contest on his previous outing.
Jumeirah King has the physical scope to progress this year and is Devin’s sole Group 1 entry amongst his 3yo colts. The extra yardage is a positive and I’m happy to take on the favourite at the prices, who had quite a hard race on his reappearance.
2.00pm Fontainebleau – 1pt win Jumeirah King @ 100/30 (most firms)
I really liked the way Sunburn scored on her third and final start at Saint-Cloud in November and though she’s entitled to come on for the run today, the Mikel Delzangles-trained filly is too big a price at 12-1.
She improved with racing last term, travelling nicely when fourth on her second start at Chantilly and beating a fair yardstick with plenty to spare on her latest outing.
Delzangles excels with fillies and it’s notable that he has given her the Saint-Alary/Diane entries alongside stablemates Ashiya (44-rated) and winning debutante Haleine.
I don’t think she has much to find on form at all with the market leaders, she is the only one in the field holding big-race entries and like many from the yard, she looks highly likely to progress this year. She might well need this, but if she is fit enough, she has the ability to go very close.
1.25pm Fontainebleau – 1pt win Sunburn @ 12-1 (all firms)
