Unable to deliver a winner of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club since Anabaa Blue (GB) (Anabaa) prevailed in 2001 and stripped of its Group 2 status in 2014, today's G3 Prix Noailles exemplifies the reason for that downgrade with a less-than-inspiring renewal at Chantilly. It is an open contest nonetheless and presents an opportunity for Andre Fabre to extend his record haul of ten. He is represented here by Baron Edouard de Rothschild homebred Cleonte (Ire) (Sir Percy {GB}), who finished ahead of both Burger and Fries (Fr) (Sageburg {Ire}) and Chanducoq (Fr) (Voix du Nord {Fr}) when second to, the absent-here, Black Sea (Fr) (Dubai Destination) in the Listed Prix Francois Mathet at Saint-Cloud last month. Burger and Fries, who has been supplemented for this 2100-metre event, had previously plundered a 10-furlong conditions heat at Mont-de-Marsan by a wide margin in February, where Valkena (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), the sole distaffer here and another supplementary entry, finished a distant seventh. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Raseed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has no collateral form with any of today's opponents and may prove best in this sophomore return after garnering two of his three juvenile starts, most recently when going nine furlongs on the artificial surface here in October. More Than A Dream (Ire) (Halling) completes the line up and goes postward off a five-length maiden win at Bordeaux-le-Bouscat in November and a close-up last of four in a 10-furlong Toulouse conditions heat last month.
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