'Hurricane' faces five

Hurricane Run, perhaps the best horse in the world, will face just five opponents in the $500,000 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday, but three of them are capable of giving the European champion a run for his money.

Trainer Andre Fabre and owner Michael Tabor are using this 1 1/2-mile Group 1 race as a prep for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 29. A son of Montjeu, Hurricane Run hardly had to exert himself in his 4-year-old debut when he beat Alexander Goldrun in the three-runner Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh on May 28. While Sunday's race will be much more competitive, Hurricane Run should get the job done with Kieren Fallon at the controls.

The three with a chance to make mischief are all coming off group-race victories: Policy Maker in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly, the mare Pride in the Group 2 Prix Corrida, and Laverock in the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan.

Fabre will employ Petrograd as a pacesetter for Hurricane Run, while trainer Elie Lellouche will use Near Honor in the same role for Policy Maker, thus ensuring a faster-than-usual pace that should set things up nicely for the odds-on favorite.