Horses to Beat at the 2010 Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp
Irish raider, Jan Vermeer may have won a Group Victory at St-Cloud’s final juvenile start, finishing 3 to 1 for a Group One win, but his victory is not airtight. The easy win over Group Three horses may have landed him a top-spot among the Epsom Derby during his appearance, but he was unfortunately not even racing in the same leagues as winner Workforce as he only finished fourth and was beaten by over 11 lengths by King George Fancy, owned by Sir Michael Stoute.
Could the Grand Prix de Paris be Jan Vermeer’s big chance to make a comeback? Fans of the racer are expecting him to do just that as he starts at Longchamp in the best shape of his life. The ground at the famous Grand Prix is expected to land anywhere from soft to decent and amidst weather forecasts calling for rain, it is any horse’s race. Despite that fact, for a second time in his profession, Jan Vermeer looks on to Paris to succeed at the highest levels in order to place again among Group One.
Set to Rival the Irish Contender is French Colt Behkabad
One of Jan Vermeer’s principle contenders to win at the anticipated 1m-plus Grand Prix has to be French colt Behkabad. This three-year old rival is son to Jean-Claude’s Cape Cross and holds an unshakable record of never having been beaten by any horse in juvenile racing. He is a favourite to win as a 3-year-old amongst all other French thoroughbreds. His recent loss upon resurgence was quickly rectified at the Prix de Guiche this year as he was warming up for the Longchamp track at Chantilly’s Jockey Club.
Many spectators might view the race as owing victory solely to the French Guineas champion, Lope de Vega, who stole the winning lap after a muddled race to the finish took place. But upon further investigation, it is clear that Behkabad merely lost to fate since a poor draw and a drop-out at the rear led to an exhausting and unbearable channel for all twenty-something horses left in its wake.
While several horses relented victory due to these very unlucky circumstances, Behkabad raced forth, knocking another horse out of his way on the straight and accelerating in an attempt to turn out a half-decent run.
If the race had gone on any further, despite his delay, Behkabad would have easily outrun fellow French racer, Lope de Vega. Not to say the talent and history is not there for Vega as well, but a close look at the run shows that Behkabad was set to finish first even after the collision. Who is to say by what distance he could have taken the race if disorganization had not proven fatal to his run that day.
That being said, Behkabad is as much a front-runner for the upcoming French race as Jan Vermeer. With a little more luck on his side, he is a true contender to beat.
Other Possible French Contenders
Other contenders to win the Grand Prix tonight at Longchamp are fellow French raiders Planteur with odds 11 to 4, Ice Blue with odds 7 to 1, and Goldwaki with odds 9 to 2. Out of the three, Planteur is making the most noise in the betting world after winning second place at the Prix Du Jockey Club this year.
While the betting world and trainers safely place their bets on these three French horses, Behkabad could win with a little luck and a bit of good weather. Everyone knows, however, that the Irish have all the luck and that Irish racer Jan Vermeer can probably weather any rain that French race tracks can bring.
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