Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf berth up for grabs in Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere

Two fees-paid berths to Breeders’ Cup races at Churchill Downs next month are at stake for the winners of Sunday’s Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Prix de l’Opera on the undercard of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe program at Longchamp in Paris.

Overall, there are eight Group 1 races on the nine-race program. Aside from the Arc and the Prix de la Foret, which is led by three-time Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Goldikova, there are two Group 1 races for 2-year-olds, as well as one for sprinters, fillies and mares, marathoners, and even Arabian-bred horses.

LIVE VIDEO: Watch Saturday and Sunday's races live from Longchamp »

The Prix Jean-Luc Largardere, run over seven furlongs and worth approximately $470,750, is led by the standout Dabisrim, who won the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville, France, in August to remain unbeaten after four races. Trained by Christophe Ferland, Dabirsim will be heavily favored against six rivals, including So Fast, who was fourth in the Prix Morny but rebounded to win the Group 3 Prix La Rochette at Longchamp last month.

The Largerdere winner receives a fees-paid berth to the $1 million BC Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 5 through the Breeders’ Cup Challenge program.

The 3-year-old filly Margot Did has already earned a fees-paid berth to the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on Nov. 5 after winning the Nunthorpe Stakes in York, England, in August. She faces a stern test in the Prix de l’Abbaye, which is worth approximately $403,500 and is run over a straightaway five furlongs on a separate course on the Longchamp infield.

Trained by Michael Bell, Margot Did drew post 7, or roughly in the middle of the 15-horse field. Prohibit, who is expected to go favored, drew the inside, which is considered a favorable draw. Prohibit won the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, followed by a third in the Nunthorpe.

BREEDERS’ CUP CHALLENGE: Racing schedule, replays, and past winners »

A 6-year-old gelding trained by Robert Cowell, Prohibit won the Group 3 Prix du Petit Couvert over the Abbaye course on Sept. 11.

The Prix de l’Abbaye field also drew Wizz Kid, who was fifth in the Nunthorpe and a Group 2 winner at Chantilly in June.

It is possible that the Prix Marcel Boussac for 2-year-old fillies over a mile on turf could produce a starter for the $1 million BC Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4. Worth approximately $403,500, the Prix Marcel Boussac has just six starters, a field led by Zantenda.

By Zamindar, Zantenda is unbeaten in two starts, including the Group 3 Prix d’Aumale over about a mile at Longchamp on Sept. 8. Zantenda is trained by Freddy Head for Alain and Gerard Wertheimer.

Elusive Kate, trained by John Gosden, is capable of winning. A Kentucky-bred filly by Elusive Quality, Elusive Kate has won her last three starts, including two seven-furlong stakes at Deauville – the Prix Six Perfections in July and the Group 3 Prix du Calvados in August.

The longest race on the card, and the only one that includes a full-circuit of the Longchamp oval, is the Prix de Cadran, which is run over about 2 1/2 miles. The first race of the day, the Prix de Cadran, worth approximately $336,250, drew a field of 10 led by Ley Hunter, the winner of the Group 3 Prix Gladiateur over two miles at Longchamp on Sept. 11.

The $672,500 Arabian World Cup Stakes has an American connection. Theoretically, one of 16 runners, was bred in Texas by Leslie Gicewicz, and was a stakes winner at Delaware Park in 2008 and 2009.