Longchamps Marcel Boussac

If she's as good as I think (hope) she is, Maybe ought to win the Boussac on Sunday.  She has already beaten the two other Irish entries (Fire Lily and Yellow Rosebud).  The two I'm most worried about are the two Group 3 winners - Elusive Kate (the Prix du Calvados winner) and Zantenda (who beat Rajastani narrowly but comfortably in the Prix d'Aumale last time out).  Supplementary entries (if any) are due tomorrow morning.

BSQ are betting on the Prix Marcel Boussac: 8/11 Maybe, 9/2 Zantenda, 13/2 Elusive Kate, 8/1 Yellow Rosebud, 10/1 Rajastani, 10/1 Fire Lily, 50/1 Regina Ejina
Those prices look about right to me, but they have made no allowance for any supplementary entries such as Falls Of Lora.  Zantenda is likely to start a lot shorter than 9/2 and looks the pick at this stage (as a trade-off), but I'm hoping for a comfortable win for my long-range Guineas fancy Maybe...

Maybe has been taken out this morning.  Falls Of Lora has been supplemented.  I'm happy now with my 9/2 bet on Zantenda.

Revised prices from BSQ: 9/4 Zantenda, 9/2 Elusive Kate, 5/1 Falls Of Lora, 6/1 Fire Lily, 6/1 Yellow Rosebud, 6/1 Rajastani, 33/1 Regina Ejina.

Falls of Lora wins this - very, very taking performance at Ascot last time out.

Street Cry on fire with his fillies this year.

Falls Of Lora looked impressive at Ascot, but all the credit for that win should go to Kieren Fallon, who realised that there had been no pace through the first few furlongs of the race and basically caught the other jockeys napping by quickly taking his mount to the front and seizing the initiative.  A fine ride by Fallon, but what on earth were the other jockeys thinking?  Before that win at Ascot the Godolphin filly had been well beaten in a nursery off a mark of 92 and she has a mountain to climb in terms of form (she's still only rated 93).

Elusive Kate looked good in the Prix du Calvados, but the 3rd, 4th and 6th have let the form down and she needs to take another big step forward (though on the plus side she has been working very well in preparation for this).  Zantenda looked a really classy filly in the Prix d'Aumale and will probably go off a short-priced favourite, but I'll be a bit surprised if she gets beaten.  I'll be looking for big runs from both Yellow Rosebud and Fire Lily (to boost the form of Maybe).

I think that Yellow Rosebud was ridden with the Moyglare in mind in the Debutante as Smullen gave her a little too much to do and was not that vigorous in the closing stages. I think she is a decent filly and not that far off Maybe on that performance in the Debutante. The problem is she never turned up for the Moyglare which suggests a setback (nothing reported) but at least she was thought ready for a race as she was declared for the Flame Of Tara but was in season so was a non runner. So on those thoughts I think that 7's is a decent price.

I think 7's on Fire Lily is a good price form wise.

The outsider Regina Ejina has been taken out, leaving a small but select field of six.  Elusive Kate made the running last time in the Calvados (where she was drawn against the favoured rail), but if she doesn't set the pace this time I don't know who will, so we could be in for a slowly-run tactical affair, which would play to the strengths of the speedy Fire Lily.  If we get a true pace then I think that Zantenda, who's likely to be held up, could swamp them with her exceptional turn of foot.  Falls Of Lora has the most to prove (in my opinion), but you should never underestimate the Godolphin fillies this season...

Take all the points above but think Falls of Lora is a vastly improving filly, Godolphin have stumped up the cash to supplement and Al Zarooni knows what he is doing in Group races. Longchamp is tailor made for her.

Rajastani has just been declared a non-runner, leaving just five runners.  I can't remember there ever having been such a small field for this race.

Very strange race and it's hard to know what to make of the result.  Olivier Peslier did exactly the right thing, keeping to the far rail, but unfortunately all the others drifted out into the centre of the course and she's was left isolated.  She was still level with the winner half a furlong from the finish but she got tired or idled and was well beaten at the line.  Elusive Kate got on the wrong leg, which is what caused her to hang badly, but still managed to beat useful yardstick Fire Lily.  The winner reportedly heads to the Breeders Cup and I wouldn't be tempted to back her for the 1000 Guineas at this stage.