Firmer ground might suit Tamfana in French Oaks

One might easily come away with the idea that while Tamfana finished fourth in the 1000 Guineas last month at Newmarket, she was the best horse in the race. Her overall form combined with her last-start performance has Tamfana near the head of early betting markets for the Group 1 Prix de Diane, also known as the French Oaks, on Sunday at Chantilly Racecourse.

France’s Oaks is contested over 1 5/16 miles over a course that on Friday was called good-to-soft, a condition worth noting. Owing to a very wet spring in France, many of the early season stakes have been run on courses ranging from soft to heavy. The form of horses like Halfday, who slogged her way to a victory April 19 in the Prix Cleopatre over very soft ground at Saint-Cloud, might not transfer to the Diane.

Tamfana won last year over heavy ground, but also captured a race on the all-weather track at Kempton Park and finished with a bang on good going last month at Newmarket. A 33-1 shot in the Guineas, Tamfana traveled smoothly and strongly from the back of the field under Jamie Spencer and was gliding into real contention when she was stuck behind a wall of horses going down into “The Dip” that leads to the uphill finish of the straight Newmarket mile.

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Shuffled back nearly to last of 16, Spencer took a hard left when finally out of traffic, and Tamfana stormed home, easily finishing fastest, to lose by just one length. Oisin Murphy picks up the mount for the Diane.

Trainer Charlie Appleby never has won the Prix de Diane, nor, for that matter, has his lone client, Godolphin, but that team has a prominent player Sunday in Dance Sequence. A fading ninth in the Guineas, Dance Sequence showed her preference for longer distances finishing second, albeit by three lengths, to Ezeliya in the 1 1/2-mile Oaks at Epsom. Dance Sequence, by Dubawi, made a big move from the rear of the Oaks field to take the lead before Ezeliya ran her down, and the cutback in distance Sunday could be a good thing.

Ezeliya, based in Ireland, is an Aga Khan homebred, as is Candala, a France-based contender for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. Candala, a filly of modest scope, lost her debut at age 2, won second out, was put away for the winter, and returned to land the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte on April 14 at Longchamp. Picking up momentum through a final three furlongs in a swift 34.33 seconds, Candala on Sunday races for the first time beyond one mile. She should like that, as her dam, Candarliya, was a Group 2 winner over 1 3/4 miles.

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