Our man in France Jason Kiely guide you through today's ParisLongchamp card

As the 2020 flat season in France undergoes a sort of renaissance we are treated to a fantastic ten-race card at ParisLongchamp featuring a host of big names and numerous Classic candidates, most notably French Derby hero Sottsass and the superb Godolphin colt Victor Ludorum.

With the credentials of the above-mentioned duo fairly obvious I have been heading in the search of some other clues throughout this marvelous card and have landed on a mix of dark horses, trainers and even a jockey I believe have big futures.

Fabre’s Tropbeau should take the spoils

Although clear favourite at the head of the market for the Group Three Prix de la Grotte, Tropbeau still presents some value at slight odds-against in my book.

The Andre Fabre-trained filly was simply perfect throughout her juvenile season and she is said to have trained on and strengthened up well throughout the winter. On top of that, her 30-times champion has an excellent recent record in this race having won four of the ten most recent runnings.

A daughter of Showcasing, Tropbeau makes the step up to the mile for the first time this afternoon, having won three races over seven furlongs last year, but connections have been clear that this shouldn’t be a problem.

Her final run last season came in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket where she finished third having been slightly unlucky in running, thus clearly showing that she is up to Group One class.

Inevitalbly Tropbeau holds entries in three top-flight races in the coming months and is current favourite for the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) back here in three weeks’ time.

She will face some solid opposition in the shape of the Freddy Head-trained Kkayzaraan, who impressed many a punter last season but is yet to be tried at this level. The Pia Brandt filly Quiet Times was successful on her comeback run in March and although she steps up in both class and distance here, she should be highly respected.

Fillies trained by Graffard deserve maximum respect

As he demonstrated in 2019, Chantilly-based trainer Francis-Henri Graffard is capable of huge results at the very highest level, sometimes even with horses seemingly disregarded by the bookmakers.

Last season Watch Me romped home to a famous Coronation Stakes victory at Royal Ascot at odds of 20-1, little over a week after her trainer had landed the biggest win of his career with Channel in the Prix de Diane, which represnted an amazing training performance.

The finesse the Chantilly-based handler seems to possess when it comes to fillies is becoming a worrying factor for his fellow trainers and Graffard runs three more progressive types on today's card.

First up is Tarida (10.55), a daughter of Charm Spirit who is not only going the right way but also very tough having finished in the first two on her last five runs. She looks sure to go well.

Then comes Simona (14.05), who looked like she had plateaued towards the end of last season, only to demolish her rivals in two starts this term. Her latest success came at Group Three level, taking some down some lofty reputations in the process.

This afternoon's engagement will be her toughest yet and it is hard to see her overturning Sottsass but Graffard’s charges can never be underestimated and as he recently said in an interview on French television channel Equidia: "Simona keeps surprising us and just keeps progressing." Don't ignore her.

Wasmya (14.35) the final runner and arguably the most likely winner of the Graffard. She's making her comeback run after a terrific 2019 campaign. The Al Shaqab-owned filly was highly tried last time out when running a respectable race to finish mid-division in the Group One Prix de la Foret on Arc day.

Now back in into Listed company, she could well get back to winning ways with crack rider PC Boudot doing the steering again. Before the lockdown Graffard had sent out 12 winners from 23 runners and was operating at a 52% strike-rate.

This season he has been sent two-year-olds by both HH The Aga Khan and Prince Khalid Abdullah and is touted by many as someone who can become champion trainer in France over the coming years.

Twist can shine for rising star Miette

Although not one of the five Black-Type races on today's card, the Prix d’Escoville (11.25) looks a hugely intriguing affair and a chance can be given to most of the field.

The further we scroll down through the nine strong list of runners, the deeper we fall into an abyss of potential and pedigrees, with Twist possibly being the most compelling candidate of them all. Trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias, he coasted to victory on his comeback run at Fontainbleu in early March in the famous Wertheimer silks, but what’s even more eye-catching about this Pivotal colt is the way the form of his debut run has worked out.

On that September day he was beaten three-and-a-half lengths into second by none other than Victor Ludorum with subsequent Group One winner MKFancy back in third. It would be fair to say expectations in the Laffon-Parias yard are high and the colt holds plenty of fancy entries going forward.

Entrusted with the task of riding this useful colt is a young woman who has been making quite a name for herself in France of late, step forward Crystal Miette.

Having recently joined forces with the Laffon-Parias team, she has wasted no time getting the leg up onto some blue-blooded animals. Although she is only in the early stages of her career and still an apprentice, she has carried the Wertheimers blue and white colours to victory twice this year, including on promising colt Stanzo, who is entered later this week.

Not only that but owing to the ‘female riders' claim’ in France, Miette will reduce the weight due to be carried by Twist from 58kgs to a much more comfortable 54kgs, which should make it extremely difficult for rivals.

In an age where female jockey are massively in demand in France with many trainers are benefiting from the ‘female claim’, it would be no shock to see Miette rise through the ranks, just like Coralie Pacault or Mickaelle Michel have done in recent seasons. She has the talent to do it.

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