Stone Cold

Before Aidan O'Brien arrived on the scene, it was Andre Fabre who ruled the roost in the G1 Investec Coronation Cup, and the success of Swain (Ire) in 1996 was a third straight and fifth overall in the Epsom feature for Chantilly's maitre. Shirocco (Ger) has subsequently added a sixth during the period of Ballydoyle's second empire, and in the absence of a representative of that Co. Tipperary powerhouse Saturday's renewal could be primed for Fabre to equal Aidan O'Brien's record courtesy of Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Runner-up to Dolniya (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) in both a Mar. 3 Chantilly conditions event–which served as a warm-up for the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic–and in the main event itself at Meydan on World Cup night Mar. 28, Khalid Abdullah's Dec. 14 G1 Hong Kong Vase winner tries to bring down the filly once again and end a sequence of seconds in top-class European events, such as this race 12 months ago and the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. 

“Flintshire looks good, but might just be a bit short of work prior to Saturday as he has not had a race since March,” his trainer warned. “I had to choose between running him here and going for the Grand Prix de Chantilly, but that is only a Group 2 and in the end the ground came up soft, which he hates, so I am happy that I have made the correct decision to wait for this.” Fabre was respectful of the competition, saying, “Dolniya is obviously the mare to beat, but Flintshire has the advantage of knowing the course. I am a bit worried about the possibility of a slow pace but, although it might not be a furious gallop, it should not make a difference as long as he is ridden quite prominently.” 

Alain de Royer-Dupre has worked his familiar magic with Dolniya, who was caressed through her light sophomore campaign, which included a win in the G2 Prix de Malleret at Saint-Cloud in June and fifth in the Arc. Now a different proposition with another winter's strengthening in her limbs, His Highness The Aga Khan's bay has demonstrated better acceleration than her chief opponent so far in 2015, and that could be key again. “Dolniya needed time to get over her trip to Dubai and was just about ready to run a month ago in the Prix Ganay only for the ground to go soft, so I withdrew her,” de Royer-Dupre commented. “She has improved a lot in the weeks since then and looks perfect now. The main question with her is how she will handle the undulations at Epsom. Although she has good balance, she is a very big filly. She certainly has the class if trying to deal with the course does not take too much out of her. She is a very easy ride and can make the running if necessary.” None of the remainder have looked remotely like Coronation Cup winners so far in their career, and the odds of 14-1 bar the French match-up sums up their chances. John Manley's Pether's Moon (Ire)(Dylan Thomas {Ire}) has to rebound from an uncharacteristically disappointing effort when a well-beaten third in the G2 Jockey Club S. at Newmarket May 2, but trainer Richard Hannon is taking heart from his prior effort when second under a penalty in Newbury's G3 John Porter S. Apr. 18. 

“He ran a smashing race in the John Porter and had plenty on his plate subsequently in the Jockey Club S.,” he commented. “Although this is his first time at Epsom, he has won twice at Goodwood so I'd be hopeful that he would cope with the undulations.”