Japan odds-on favorite in Grand Prix de Paris

Japan never has won a Group 1 race but is the heavy favorite to do so in the Grand Prix de Paris on Sunday at Longchamp.

Quietly campaigned at 2, when he won three times from three starts in an all-Ireland campaign that began and ended in September, Japan took his first loss when he began his 3-year-old season with a fourth-place finish in the Dante Stakes. That start merely was a tune-up for the Epsom Derby, where Japan finished a fine third of 13, and he returned June 21 at Royal Ascot with an absolute pasting of seven rivals, the closest of whom finished 4 1/2 lengths behind, in the Group 2 King Edward Stakes.

Japan’s last two starts came over the 1 1/2 miles he races Sunday, and the King Edward was contested over a course labeled good-to-soft, the same as the Longchamp ground as of Friday. Ryan Moore has the mount for Aidan O’Brien on this son of Galileo, who was trading odds of about 1-2 with British bookmakers before the weekend.

O’Brien also runs Western Australia, a presumed pacemaker, while trainer Andre Fabre entered three – In Favour, who was about 20-1 on Friday, 9-1 Slalom and 6-1 Roman Candle. Roman Candle tries 1 1/2 miles for the first time following a fifth of 15 going 1 5/16 miles in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club, a race from which fourth-place Cape of Good Hope returned to turn in disappointing performances at Ascot and in the Belmont Derby, where he was eighth. But Rockemperor, sixth in the Jockey Club, redeemed the form of the race to some extent with a solid third-place Belmont Derby finish.

Slalom showed promise in winning the Prix Noailles in April but barely got out of canter while checking in 12th in the Jockey Club. Put down that poor performance to whatever, and Slalom could race competitively at a square price, but he’ll need vast improvement to threaten Japan.