Having had his fair share of ill fortune so far this season, Al Shaqab Racing's Doha Dream (Fr) (Shamardal) could put it all behind him with success in Sunday's G2 Grand Prix de Deauville. Denied a clear run when last of five to Silverwave (Fr) (Silver Frost {Ire}) in the June 4 G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, last year's G2 Prix Chaudenay scorer may have clipped heels when unseating Gregory Benoist in the July 2 G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. On the face of it, he should not be able to reverse a short-head defeat at the hands of Tiberian (Fr) (Tiberius Caesar {Fr}) in the course-and-distance G3 Prix de Reux on Aug. 6, as he is five-pounds worse off with that rival, but he looks the type to have something in reserve as the autumn approaches.
Godolphin's Frontiersman (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) looked one of the season's exciting older horses following his eye-catching second in the June 3 G1 Coronation Cup at Epsom, but after subsequent defeats when second in the G2 Princess of Wales's S. at Newmarket on July 13 and third in the G3 Geoffrey Freer S. at Newbury last Saturday he now has questions to answer. Trainer Charlie Appleby is keeping the faith. “Frontiersman has come out of the race at Newbury well,” he commented. “Hopefully, going back on a sound surface and back to around a mile and a half will suit him. It was a slow ground at Newbury and I think he might not have seen the trip out that day.” Far too keen when sixth behind Tiberian and Doha Dream on his seasonal bow in the Reux, Stall Ullmann's Savoir Vivre (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) returns to the race he won 12 months ago under an enterprising front-running ride. Beating the French stalwarts Siljan's Saga (Fr) (Sagamix {Fr}) and Erupt (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) then, the homebred was also runner-up in the G1 Deutsches Derby at Hamburg last July and eighth in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Chantilly in October.
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