Safe To Come Out

Battered by the Japanese raider A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan, Dariyan (Fr) (Shamardal) and Vadamos (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) come out of brief hibernation in Sunday's G3 Prix Messidor at Maisons-Laffitte. While no match for that dynamic performer in the nine-furlong feature at Chantilly May 24, they still managed respectable placings in second and fourth in a race full of talent including the subsequent winners of the G1 Prince of Wales's S. and G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Dariyan had previously won the G1 Prix Ganay at Saint-Cloud over 10 furlongs at the start of May and finished third in the G1 Hong Kong Vase over a mile and a half at Sha Tin in December, so this mile trip is likely to be too short as he bids to defy a penalty. Vadamos finally met trainer Andre Fabre's expectations when powering to success in the May 1 G2 Prix du Muguet over this trip at Saint-Cloud, where Mr Owen (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) was back in third, but the form of that race may be questionable and he too has a penalty. His stablemate Territories (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) gets his favoured good ground for the first time since his G1 Prix Jean Prat success at Chantilly last July and also gets six pounds from Vadamos and nine from Dariyan, so there will be no excuses this time as there were when a latest fifth in the G3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil over a mile on soft at Chantilly June 19. Lisa-Jane Graffard of Godolphin said, “Territories is in good form at home and has come on from his most recent appearance. We are hopeful of a good performance.”