Longchamp's Saturday card could produce Breeders' Cup runners

Arc weekend in Paris begins on Saturday at Longchamp with a program that features four Group 2 races, and a few races that could produce runners for the Breeders’ Cup at Churchill Downs on Nov. 4-5.

The Prix Daniel Wildenstein, over about a mile, and a possible prep for the BC Mile, includes Rio de la Plata, who was second in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp on Sept. 11, as well as the French Group 3 winners Best Dating and Zinabaa.

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The Prix Dollar, over about 1 3/16 miles, is likely to be dominated by horses owned by Juddmonte Farms and Godolphin Racing.

Juddmonte starts Byword, the winner of the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2010, and Famous Name, who was third in the Irish Champion Stakes last month, and won four stakes in Ireland earlier this year. Godolphin starts the improving French Navy, who won the Group 3 King Select Stakes at Goodwood last month.

Two races are plagued by short fields.

The Prix Chaudenay over a mile and seven furlongs for 3-year-olds drew only five runners. Pacifique seeks his third stakes win, having won the Group 3 Prix Lutece last month.

In the Prix de Royallieu over 1 5/16 miles for fillies and mares, Shamanova, third in three consecutive group stakes in France from July through mid-September, has only three rivals.

Hannon has 1-2 combo in Tattersalls

Saturday at Newmarket, England, trainer Richard Hannon has two outstanding chances to win the Tattersalls Millions 2-Year-Old Trophy, with the stakes winners Tell Dad and Coupe de Ville. The race is run over seven furlongs, drew a field of 16, and has a purse of approximately $780,000.

Tell Dad won the Tattersalls Millions Median Auction Trophy on Sept. 17 by 2 3/4 lengths over Alkazim, who is also entered in Saturday’s race. Coupe de Ville was fifth in that field, but won the Stonehenge Stakes at Salisbury, England, in August.

Rocket Man returns at Nakayama

Rocket Man, the winner of three Group 1 races for sprinters in the spring, makes his first start since May in Sunday’s Group 1 Sprinters’ Stakes at Nakayama, Japan.

Rocket Man won the $2 million Golden Shaheen at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in March and two Group 1 races in Singapore in May – the Lion City Cup and KrisFlyer International Sprint.

A 6-year-old Australian-bred gelding based with trainer Patrick Shaw in Singapore, Rocket Man will have as many as 15 rivals in the Sprinters’ Stakes, which is run over about six furlongs and has a purse of approximately $2.47 million.

The Hong Kong-based Lucky Nine is considered a threat to Rocket Man. In January, Lucky Nine, a 4-year-old gelding, won the Group 1 Hong Kong Classic Mile.