There are 15 entries for the Prix Imprudence on 8 April:

1. Evading Tempete (F. ROHAUT) 31-9221
2. Special Duty (MME C. HEAD-MAAREK) 2121-
3. Joanna (JC. ROUGET) 12113-
4. Kartica (P. DEMERCASTEL) 714-
5. Ascot Glory (S. WATTEL) 4137514212-7
6. American Nizzy (Y.DE NICOLAY) 123465-
7. Okapina (MLLE SV. TARROU) 01222-3
8. Blagueuse (E. LELLOUCHE) 3122-
9. Lixirova (D. SMAGA) 1313661-
10. Liliside (F. ROHAUT) 9212-11
11. Dolled Up (R.** 23113423-
12. Wonderfilly (P. DEMERCASTEL) 3155164-
13. Irish Cat (R.** 133332551343274-
14. Rue De La Victoire (JC. ROUGET) 34-11
15. Saying (F. HEAD) 121-

Special Duty and Joanna (3rd in the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac) stand out on form and are both entered for the 1000 Guineas. Useful opposition in the form of Dolled Up (winner of the Gr.3 Prix du Bois, close-up 4th in the Gr.1 Prix Morny and placed in two other Group races), Lixirova (winner of the Gr.3 Prix Miesque), Saying (lightly-raced winner of the Listed Prix Herod) and Evading Tempete (comfortable winner of a Listed race at Deauville on 18 March). Liliside and Rue De La Victoire have won two races each this year. Some of the other entries, although seemingly exposed, have some useful form to their names, eg Irish Cat (3rd in the Gr.3 Prix Eclipse) and American Nizzy (6th in the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac). It could turn out to be a good quality renewal, but Special Duty should win this comfortably if she is to maintain her position at the head of the Guineas betting. Main danger is fellow Guineas entry Joanna (already a Gr.3 winner over this 7f trip).

SPECIAL DUTY, 11-4 favourite with the sponsors to win the StanJames.com 1,000 Guineas on May 2, pleased connections with her final gallop before she runs in the Group 3 Prix Imprudence, a trial for the Newmarket Classic, on April 8.



The Criquette Head-Maarek-trained filly took her position at the head of the ante-post market for the 1,000 Guineas when winning the Group 1 Electrolux Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket in October and worked over 7f under Stephane Pasquier at Chantilly on Monday.

Good news. She's very effective on good fast ground, but she seems to cope OK with soft ground. I wouldn't want to see her race on heavy ground, though, that would be a slight concern.

Anyone have a video link to watch special duty's previous races?

cheers fella. searched for special duty and not name of race so could not find anything.

ive been backing her since october'@7s, 5s, 4s, 7-2, 3s,11-4today,
didnt read this fred till last night, thought i was ahead of the game, blissfully unaware of this fred, well done jamesp
still happy with my bets,
good luck to all, sleep well special one xxx

Okapina and Dolled Up have been taken out of the Imprudence. Maximum field of nine. Final decs tomorrow.

Odds-on - beware the Rouget horse btw ;)

A word of warning ahead of the Prix Imprudence. Criquette Head-Maarek has made a very slow start to the season in France, even allowing for the fact that she is not normally noted for early-season winners: she has had only four runners and they have finished 7774. Her most recent runner Head Of Steam was a beaten odds-on favourite at Fontainebleau on Friday. She has two runners at Longchamp today, so let's hope they perform creditably. The prolific Jean-Claude Rouget, on the other hand, has already sent out 42 winners this year and 68 placed runners from 131 starters. So it wouldn't be the biggest upset in the world if Special Duty manages to get beaten on Thursday. Joanna, trained by the in-form Rouget, should be very fit for her reappearance.

Criquette Head-Maarek's Right One was a good second of 18 (beaten a head) in a competitive handicap at Longchamp today. Criquette's other runner at Longchamp Bikini Sport was unplaced but unfancied (at around 40/1). The stable has yet to register its first win of the year, but Right One's performance was encouraging. The ground was 'sticky' at Longchamp, so let's hope for a few days of dry weather before Thursday's Prix Imprudence.

well done James, i see Special Duty form figures, 2121, if she keeps that up a 2 on thurs. and a 1 in the big one, will do nicely. cheers.

SPECIAL DUTY DEFEAT NO DISASTER
By Ashley Iveson, Press Association Sport

1000 Guineas- Antepost: Special Duty 9/4
Special Duty Profile
Mme C Head-Maarek Profile
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Criquette Head-Maarek will not be too disappointed if Special Duty is beaten in the Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffitte on Thursday.

The three-year-old currently occupies top spot in the ante-post betting for the StanJames.com 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 2, and Head-Maarek is looking forward to getting her season under way.

"She's a fantastic filly so far, but from two to three (years old) horses can change and you never know until you run again," said the trainer.

"I'm very happy with her and she has done extremely well through the winter.

"She's not a big filly and is still a little light framed, but she has been working well and has done everything I've asked of her so far.

"So far everything is en route for Thursday and en route for the Guineas.

"But if she was beaten on Thursday it won't mean I won't come for the Guineas.

"I got beaten with Hatoof and she won the Guineas, so Thursday's race is a prep race and she will be ready for May 2."

Special Duty has yet to race beyond six furlongs in her four starts but her trainer feels she will stay the Rowley Mile next month.

"From the mother's side she's got a lot of stamina and we have worked her to relax a lot, so she's much quieter and now she can't wait behind and doesn't pull any more, Head-Maarek told At The Races.

"I think she should run the mile and, from my point of view, you are able to win the Guineas with a fast horse."

Head-Maarek certainly knows what it takes to win the 1000 Guineas, having saddled Ma Biche (1983), Ravinella (1988) and Hatoof (1992) to Newmarket glory.

"If Special Duty compares to any horse it is Ravinella as she is light framed like her and has the turn of foot that Ravinella had," the trainer added.

"It is difficult to compare from different years but we know that least year she was the best, so lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that this year will be the same.

"For me, the ground will not be an excuse as good horses should act on any ground."

ground is likely to be good to soft tommorow

The thing that concerns me most about today's race is the fact that Criquette has made such a quiet start to the season (no winners from just 7 runners). Her brother Freddie Head (trainer of Saying) has also yet to hit the target (no winners from 31 runners), but the other five trainers are all in good form:
Jean-Claude Rouget (trainer of Joanna) 44 winners this year from 142 runners (31% strike rate)
Francois Rohaut (trainer of Evading Tempete) 19 winners from 109 runners (17.4%)
Philippe Demercastel (trainer of Wonderfilly) 15 winners from 81 runners (18.5%)
Stephane Wattel (trainer of Ascot Glory) 12 winners from 61 runners (19.6%)
David Smaga (trainer of Lixirova) 6 winners from 27 runners (22.2%)

The other thing that concerns me slightly is Criquette's comment that Special Duty is much quieter (i.e. more docile) this year. This can be a sign that a filly has not trained on terribly well.

Special Duty should win this comfortably if she's straight enough for this reappearance, but her trainer has warned that she will not be 100% for today's race, which is just a prep for the 1000 Guineas. (Don't forget that Hatoof was beaten in this race but still went on to win the Guineas, and Zafonic was beaten in the colts' equivalent race.) The soft ground will be far from ideal for Special Duty (or for main danger Joanna), so if I do have a speculative bet on today's race it may be on Lixirova (a course and distance winner on heavy ground in the Gr.3 Prix Miesque last November, who was fit enough to win first time out last year on soft ground) or Ascot Glory (whose best form, including a second in the Gr.2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte, has come on soft or holding ground). Lixirova is well held by Joanna on Gr.3 Prix du Calvados form, but that was on good fast ground, and today's race could turn out to be Lixirova's 'Guineas', with Joanna likely to be better suited by faster ground.

Point taken, sintonian, but what you have described could still be a sign that she hasn't trained on terribly well. It's not a major worry, however. In fact, it is just as likely (or perhaps more likely) to be a positive sign: if she can relax better in her races whilst retaining all her old speed and her terrific turn of foot, she will be very hard to beat in the Guineas. Fingers crossed!

I listened to the interview too. I think it was just understandable caution on the trainer's part: she can't know for certain that the filly has trained on well until she has had a race. But there is no doubt that Criquette is very happy with the way the filly has wintered - she is still a bit light-framed, but she has continued to develop physically and has been working very nicely at home. The race will bring her on nicely for the Guineas. If she does manage to win the Imprudence it will be a huge boost for her Guineas chance, as she will be nowhere near 100% race-fit for today's race.

Totally agree ^^^. The one statement that i took from the trainer was that whatever happens today she comes on for the run and will run at Newmarket. She wouldnt send her if she wasnt up to the standard. The owner showed this thinking when he didnt send Proportional over because they thought she wasnt up to it. THEY KNOW :D

5/2 Joanna with Ladbrokes if anyone's interested.

What the ground like???

She wins today she'll win the Guineas imo