The Mayday Star

Undone only by the supreme test of the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2014, Antonio Caro and Gerard Augustin-Normand’s Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) stages a keenly anticipated return to action over a mile Friday for Saint-Cloud’s G2 Prix du Muguet. Successful over this trip in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, the bay–who also captured the 10 1/2-furlong G1 Prix de Diane and G2 Prix de la Nonette over a mile and a quarter–ended up being beaten just over six lengths when 11th in Longchamp’s showcase. 

“Everything has gone very well and Jean-Claude [Rouget] is very happy with her work,” Sylvain Vidal, racing manager for Gerard Augustin-Normand, told PA Sport. “She’s very easy to train. She’s not a big filly, but she is very relaxed. The Muguet is a good race for her, as it’s a nice distance of eight furlongs. She will need the race, but we think she will do well. Long term, we also think she will be a nice horse for the [G1] Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot.” 
Another talented filly in the line up is the Wertheimers’ Bawina (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was fourth behind Avenir Certain in the Pouliches and again trailed that rival when seventh in the Diane. Subsequently successful in the G3 Prix de Lieurey over this trip at Deauville in August, the homebred wound up with a fifth in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp the following month. Bolstering a potent distaff challenge is Baron Edouard de Rothchild’s G1 Prix Rothschild winnerEsoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), while last year’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains runner-up Prestige Vendome (Fr) (Orpen) bids to get back on track following a third successive off-the-board effort when sixth in the G3 Prix Edmond Blanc over this course and distance Apr. 5.