France lacks Cup clue

PARIS - Finding Breeders' Cup clues at Longchamp on Saturday proved an elusive task, as four Group 2 races produced only a couple of lukewarm possibilities for Arlington Park on Oct. 26.

The Pascal Bary-trained Domedriver could be Breeders' Cup Mile-bound after his last-to-first victory in the one-mile Prix Daniel Wildenstein, formerly known as the Prix du Rond-Point.

In defeating Suggestive by a head, Domedriver paid a compliment to Banks Hill, who had beaten him by 1 1/2 lengths in the Prix Jacques le Marois. Alan Cooper, racing manager for Domedriver's owners, the Niarchos family, said that Domedriver would be seriously considered for the Cup "if he comes out of this race alright."

Domedriver covered the mile on good ground in 1:39.30.

Dance Routine's victory in the 1 9/16-mile Prix de Royallieu may propel her into contention for the Breeders' Cup Turf or Filly and Mare Turf, but Teddy Beckett, European racing manager for winning owner Khalid Abdullah, would not be specific.

"She may go to the States," he said, "but we have to discuss where and when."

A Group 3 winner in June, Dance Routine had been second to Bright Sky in the French Oaks and second to Pearly Shells in the Prix de la Nonette before finishing eighth in the Prix Vermeille. She appreciated being ridden from just off the pace in the Royallieu and responded with a three-quarter-length victory at 9-5 over Trumbaka, clocked in 2:39.40.

Denmark enjoyed its biggest racing victory in history when Dano-Mast made off with the Group 2 Prix Dollar.

Dano-Mast was overlooked at 24-1 despite having won Scandinavia's most important race, the Group 3 Stockholm Cup, on Sept. 8. More to the point, he had won the Group 2 Prix Jean de Chaudenay last year, so his 2 1/2-length score over Binary File was something for his Danish trainer Fleming Poulsen to relish.

Jim and Tonic finished fifth, with the favored Wellbeing, who had beaten Sakhee in the Prix Gontaut-Biron, last of 11 after having set the early pace.

The winning time for the 1 1/8 miles and 155 yards was 2:01.60.

* While Longchamp may not have produced any certainties for the Breeders' Cup on Saturday, Newmarket may well have.

The one-length victory of Dress to Thrill over Dolores in the one-mile Group 2 Sun Chariot Stakes for fillies and mares has prompted trainer Dermot Weld to say that he will enter Dress to Thrill, a 3-year-old Danehill filly, in the Breeders' Cup Mile. The victory of the lightly raced, still-improving Dress to Thrill comes on the heels of back-to-back scores in a pair of Group 3 miles in Ireland.