Owner Peter Brant and his American trainer Chad Brown are playing a waiting game right now. No Keeneland, no New York, and no spring action for elite performers like Sistercharlie. In France, Brant is back in business. Spectator-free racing is set to resume across France on Monday, and at Longchamp, Brant’s 2019 Prix du Jockey Club hero, Sottsass, is expected to make his 4-year-old debut in the Prix d’Harcourt. The Prix d’Harcourt is one of four group stakes races on the Monday card, which also includes trials for the French 2000 Guineas and the French 1000 Guineas. German racing restarted spectator-free last week and racing could resume sooner rather than later in England and Ireland. Thursday, the British Horseracing Authority issued a press release saying that the English racing’s governing body would meet Monday, May 11, regarding racing’s resumption following a May 10 announcement from the UK government about a potential general easing of COVID-19 restrictions on sporting events. France, however, is ready to go and so is Sottsass, who last was seen finishing a fine third of 12 behind Waldgeist and Enable in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, Sottsass, a homebred by Siyouni out of Starlet’s Sister, by Galileo, upset the Prix du Jockey Club, France’s derby, with a decisive two-length win over distance-challenged Persian King. Sottsass had a quiet summer, won the age-restricted Prix Niel in his Arc prep, and ran about as well as could have been hoped in the Arc. Monday’s group-stakes action at Longchamp also includes preps for one-mile Classic races: The Prix de la Grotte is a trial for the French 1000 Guineas, the Prix de Fontainebleau a lead-in to the French 2000 Guineas. Wednesday, trainer Andre Fabre revealed that Earthlight, one of Europe’s best 2-year-olds of 2019 and an intended runner in the Fontainebleau, would miss the race after suffering a lower leg sprain. Fabre and Earthlight’s owner, Godolphin, still have the heavy Fontainebleau favorite in Victor Ludorum, a Shamardal colt who went 3 for 3 last year, including a season-ending victory in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere over about one mile at Longchamp. Fabre also trains the 3-year-old filly Tropbeau, a three-time winner at 2 who ended her 2019 campaign finishing third of 11 in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, a six-furlong race perhaps short of her best trip. Tropbeau heads the early betting markets for the Prix de la Grotte but is only slightly favored over Khayzaaran, a Freddie Head-trained Kingman filly who ended her 2-year-old season with consecutive blowout wins in France.