PRIX DE SURESNES

PRIX DE SURESNES

Chantilly - 28th April 2026 - Bon 3,2

3YO Listed - 2,000m - €25,150

2:06.29 (Réduction KM 1:03.14)

This is a trial for the Prix du Jockey Club and it is worth noting that Sottsass (2019) and Ace Impact (2023) both won this race on their way to G1 success and last season the Grand Prix de Paris winner Leffard was runner-up. So did we see a G1 horse in Tuesday’s race at Chantilly? I think the first 3 are the ones to really focus on and the winner is now unbeaten in his 3 starts, but I can’t shake the feeling that this was slightly underwhelming when compared to some of the past renewals.

Dolmalan (Delzangles) will catch the headlines. He is unbeaten in his 3 starts to date and took the step into pattern company in his stride. Having raced at the rear of the 5 runner field, he needs to be praised for making up the ground in a race that was run at a crawl for the opening 6 furlongs. The leader took 1:20.28 to reach the 800m pole, an average of 13.4s for the opening 6 furlongs, which on fast ground, with a 14s 5th furlong according to the McLloyd Data, is positively sedate. With that in mind, under a confident ride we can give a sectional upgrade to Dolmalan, who was encouraged along by Mickael Barzalona but not asked for everything. Once on terms with the runner-up, it felt like Dolmalan was always getting there and he did something very similar when winning the C2 Prix du Mont Pagnotte at Chantilly at the start of the month. That form has been confirmed by the 2nd and 3rd since and this horse is clearly going the right way. However, having started his career with a string of victories there are some inevitable comparisons being made between him and Daryz, who made a similar start in the same colours. They are different horses, in different yards, but Daryz definitely had a faster turn-of-foot and I would want to exercise some caution with Dolmalan. He is winning, but he needs every yard to do so and I’d almost think he was more likely to win the Grand Prix de Paris than the Prix du Jockey Club. A penultimate furlong of 10.34s is truly rapid and shouldn’t be underestimated, but he was able to do so by running past inferior rivals with fast ground in his favour. A possible wide draw and a battle for an early position in the race next month may lead to a different result. He is just about the best of the 3-year-old Colts in France, but he certainly isn’t out on his own, so I will hold on before I pencil him in as a Classic winner, even if he is very exciting.

Montreal (AP O’Brien) a rare runner in this race for Ballydoyle. He had G1 entries in France last season and was making his first start since August. He has entries in everything at this stage; Irish 2,000 Guineas, Dante Stakes, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, St James’s Palace Stakes, Prix du Jockey Club and the Grand Prix de Paris. He had the run of this race in front under Christophe Soumillon and was beaten just a neck by a race fit rival. This was a steadily run race and I think that it is important to note that he was 0.6s slower than Dolmalan over the final 400m, with a top speed that was 2.6 km/h slower. We can’t really be sure how fit he was after such a lengthy absence and it would certainly be true to say that several of Aidan O’Brien’s 3-year-olds have needed the run this season. He is a half-brother to Cayenne Pepper and there is an argument to be made that he will probably improve by going up in trip, but the fact that Dolmalan was able to pick him up with relative ease despite getting a 6 length head start off a slow pace would suggest he will struggle to reverse this form. His presence and the fact that I can’t really be sure how fit he was, makes this race very hard to assess, but although he didn’t win, I would imagine his connections will be delighted with this effort on his seasonal return and he must surely take up at least one of his entries on the back of this.

Wiki (Ferland) couldn’t go with the first 2, but on just his 2nd start, I thought there was plenty of promise to be taken from this run. He worked hard to make a winning debut at Saint-Cloud in March and carried that maiden form into this race with credit, sticking to his task to finish a clear 3rd. He is by Make Believe and his Dam was a Listed winner over a mile, so there is some speed there to work with and closing sectionals of 10.61 and 11.29s reflect that. He couldn’t match the turn-of-foot of the winner and is unlikely to win a G1 on the limited evidence we have, but this was a decent effort and if he takes up his entry in the Prix Hocquart at Paris Longchamp at the end of May, he should give a good account of himself with the extra furlong likely to suit.

I think it’s sometimes a very difficult thing in racing to say “I Don’t Know”. It’s a sport where opinions have to be formed, but on this race and this winner, I have to say that I can’t be sure. I like Dolmalan and the data from Tuesday’s race suggest that he is a vert classy animal. However, I would argue that the best 3-year-old that I have seen in France is the filly Gilded Prize (Graffard) and he is at least 10 lbs short of what she has achieved so far. Afandy (Rouget) is another near the top of my list and he won the Prix Djebel with some authority, but he is a gelding. Dolmalan may well continue to improve and he has the turn-of-foot that is required to be very effective at the highest level in France, but there is a huge leap required from winning a small field Listed race with a fitness edge on your side and the battle for the Prix du Jockey Club over the same course and distance. He is a Zarak colt and his dam is a half-sister to Dolniya, so he certainly has the pedigree to suggest he could be a G1 horse, but I need to see him do it against that type of horse and as much as I dislike sitting on the fence, I will have to get splinters in my backside on this horse for now.