The Falmouth Poser

Newmarket's July festival continues apace with Friday's card featuring an open renewal of the G1 Qipco Falmouth S. which brings some of the best from France and Ireland into battle against the home contingent. Chief among the Gallic protagonists is Ant Caro and Gerard Augustin-Normand's 2014 G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane heroine Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who re-opposes the G3 Prix Bertrand du Breuil winner Fintry (Ire) (Shamardal) after her highly encouraging second in that June 14 Chantilly mile contest. That performance was a step forward from a disappointing re-entry when only seventh in the G2 Prix du Muguet at Saint-Cloud May 1 and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget has her at a peak again. “She is okay, nothing has gone wrong. She has been well prepared and we are hoping she runs a good race,” he said. Last year's G2 Prix de Sandringham winner Fintry is one of two Godolphin representatives alongside the Jim Bolger-trained 3-year-old Lucida (Ire) (Shamardal), who advertises the leading form of the Classic crop after finishing second in the G1 1000 Guineas on the Rowley Mile here May 3 and third in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 19. Also at the Royal meeting was Sir Robert Ogden's much-improved 4-year-old Amazing Maria (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), who made a mockery of her 25-1 odds when scoring with authority in the June 17 G2 Duke of Cambridge S. where last year's Falmouth heroine Integral (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}) was a disappointing fifth. “She's been good since Ascot, she was very impressive down there and I'm hoping it was not just a one-off and that she can go down and be competitive,” trainer David O'Meara commented. “I didn't think she could win it, but she was the best filly on the day.” One of the more intriguing contenders is the Wertheimers' Bawina (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was on the fringes of top class last term and returned with a fluent win in the Prix du Muguet in which Avenir Certain flopped. “We have always liked his filly and it was always the plan to keep her for Group One races after she won so well at Saint-Cloud,” the owner-breeders' racing manager Pierre Yves-Bureau said. “It is true that she doesn't mind the ground being a bit softer, but we are more concerned about the other horses than the ground.”