Prix de Montretout - Haatem

There is an excellent card at Paris Longchamp on Thursday evening, where the Group 3 Prix Hocquart for the 3-year-olds. However, the star name on the card actually runs in the first race, where Richard Hannon's Haatem takes on 5 rivals in the Listed Prix de Montretout. He placed in both the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas before winning the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot last season and should strip fitter than he did when 5th at Sandown at the end of April. He looks to be the class act in this field and if he runs to the level of form that he showed in the Classics 12-months ago, he should be hard to beat. However, it would be a mistake to think that this is a penalty kick for Wathnan Racings 4-year-old as there are several horses who could be capable of giving him a race. Here's a look at the other runners in the Prix de Montretout;

PRIX DE MONTRETOUT

4YO+ Listed Race - 1,600m - €26,000

Marhaba Ya Sanafi won the French 2,000 Guineas in 2023, albeit at a big price. He is a consistent sort and generally seems to run his race, especially in the Spring, where he has had some success at Saint-Cloud. However, having finished 2nd there on both starts in March behind Vertbois and Alcantor, he has had his limitations and lack of tactical speed exposed. He finished in 13.90s in the Prix Altipan, which was only the 5th fastest final furlong and it’s hard too see him holding off the quicker horses, even if he gets a prominent position from a good draw.

Quddwah is 2nd on the French rating system at 51.5-kilos. He was 4th in the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville behind Charyn on his previous visit to France and that form should be enough to win a race like this. He is a 5-year-old who is making only his 7th career start, which perhaps tells its own story, but I will forgive him his 5th placed finish in the QEII at Ascot on Champions Day, where a slow opening furlong of 16.19s left him with far too much to do. He ran the fastest 5th and 6th furlongs in the race, but on soft ground he was always going to struggle to close from that far back. A top speed of 38.32 mph was faster than Charyn at Ascot and if he is fit and ready to go, which he has been after a break in the past, he has more than enough form and class to win at this level.

Quasar won 4 times in his 3-year-old season. That form largely came in handicaps, but his 3rd placed finish behind No Lunch and Tribalist in the Prix Montjeu on the All-Weather at Chantilly in March would suggest that he can take the step up in class to pattern company. That race developed into a sprint, which perhaps flattered him more than it did the first 2, but the 11.0s he ran for the penultimate furlong was the fastest individual split in the field and if this becomes a tactical race, which is certainly a possibility, he may get closer than his rating might suggest.

Siam Paragon would be a fantastic horse to own. He has 12 wins from his 28 starts, including a couple of wins at Paris Longchamp and including premiums he has earned over €435,000 in prize money for his connections. He is yet to win over a mile, but he finished strongly over 7-furlongs to win here last month, running the fastest final furlong in 11.97s under Christophe Soumillon and looks certain to run his race. He has 19 top 3 finishes on his CV, but he isn’t a Group 1 performer. He is the oldest horse in the field and we know plenty about him at this stage. If Haatem or possibly Quddwah run to their 2024 form levels, he may struggle, but it is not beyond him to pick up some decent prize money all the same.

Start of Day is the only Filly in the race and she is an unknown quantity. She won 3 times last season, including a Listed win over 10-furlongs at Vichy in July and was far from disgraced when 5th in the Prix de L’Opera on Arc weekend, beaten just over 3-lengths by Friendly Soul. She hasn’t been seen since and the balance of her form might suggest that this 1,600m is a minimum for her, but this is her first start for Christopher Head and if there was strong market support for her, it’s not impossible to think that she could give the boys a race.

It's impossible to form a strong opinion on this race when the 3 horses with the strongest form have questions over their fitness and well being. If Haatem has taken a step forward from his Sandown run, as Lead Artist did last weekend, then he should win this race and if he is still 13/8 on the show, that's probably worth a bet, but he does need to improve from that comeback run. Quddwah is clearly quirky but more than capable at this level and beyond, whilst Start of Day also looks like a potential Group 1 winner for 2025, especially if racing in Fillies only company. This feels like I'm sitting on the fence (I probably am) but I think that there is every chance that the 3 of them can play a part at the highest level later in the season and how they perform against some reliable French performers on Thursday should give a decent guide as to how realistic that prediction is.