After a stellar season to date, Jean-Claude Rouget will be hoping his luck stretches as far as Deauville's August meeting and Al Shaqab Racing's Al Wathna (GB) (Nayef) flies the stable's standard in Saturday's G2 Shadwell Prix de Pomone. Carrying a penalty for her success in the G2 Prix de Malleret at Saint-Cloud, the bay who had previously finished runner-up in the G3 Prix de Royaumont also over that 12-furlong trip at Chantilly June 5 will have to improve again but anything seems possible from her particular yard in 2016. On the face of it, her extra burden will make life tough taking on the G3 Prix Cleopatre winner Highlands Queen (Fr) (Mount Nelson {GB}), who was disqualified and placed last after finishing eighth in the G1 Prix de Diane over 10 1/2 furlongs at Chantilly last time June 19. Of the older fillies, Lael Stable's Forever Popular (Dynaformer) looked on the upgrade with a strong-staying effort to win Newmarket's Listed Aphrodite S. over a mile and a half July 16.
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