The listed Prix Montenica at Chantilly (1.35pm, Thursday) features one British raider in the shape of the Hugo Palmer-trainer Chocoya.
The race can be a springboard to Guineas glory, such as when Style Vendome won for Nicolas Clement in 2013, but equally the 6.5 furlong trip also provides a starting point for future top 3yo sprinters such as Archie Watson’s Corinthia Knight.
Priced at 3/1, Chocoya has the best form in the book and makes plenty of appeal to overturn the Andre Fabre-trained Urgent Appeal (11/8) in this.
Hugo Palmer was confident in his assessment of the filly when talking exclusively to Race Sharp this week and has booked champion jockey P-C Boudot:
Chocoya has very good all-weather form from last year and I think she is a top of the ground filly.
We debated long and hard at the end of last year whether to run her under a double penalty in a novice or to have a swing at the Bosra Sham.
The ground was bottomless for the Bosra Sham and despite hating the ground, she was incredibly gutsy and did manage to get her black type there, finishing third.
That was tremendous. Having got her black type, we now need to go one better and win one. This has been the plan for her all winter and she was one of the first of my three-year-olds to come back in and start cantering long before Christmas.
I am very pleased with her work and although the French form is hard to assess, we need to take them on to find out where we stand.
Andre Fabre’s are seemingly in fantastic form and Urgent Appeal looks the one we have to beat.
