One of France's leading 12-furlong performers of 2014, Spiritjim (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}) steps into new territory on Sunday, as the 5-year-old tackles a staying trip for the first time in Longchamp's G3 Prix de Barbeville. Successful in the G3 Prix d'Hedouville here in May and the G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly in early June, he caught Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the dying strides of the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud later that month before being disqualified for a prohibited substance. All three performances came over the Arc trip, but in that showcase itself he was exposed when only 16th and he now takes a different path with the marathon division open for new protagonists. In opposition is last year's winner Montclair (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}), who represents the Andre Fabre stable and the reigning G1 Prix du Cadran title-holder High Jinx (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who was also second in the G1 Prix Royal Oak returning here in late October.
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