Look for Persian King to rule in Prix du Jockey-Club

Persian King has ascended the throne among French 3-year-olds this season, and despite a poor draw is widely expected to maintain his reign Sunday at Chantilly in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey-Club.

France’s version of the Derby is contested at 1 5/16 miles around right-handed bends and drew 15 entrants who will race over a course termed good-to-soft as of Friday.

Persian King and jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot break from post 14, and because of the draw his price in overseas betting markets rose slightly late this week, but Persian King, tough draw or not, still should be formidable. Trained by Andre Fabre, Persian King showed enough in a four-start, three-win 2-year-old campaign that Godolphin over the winter bought a majority share of the colt from Ballymore Thoroughbred Limited.

Their investment has been sound. Persian Knight, by Kingman, romped in the Group 3 Prix de Fontainebleau to begin his 3-year-old campaign, after which Fabre chose against a trip to Newmarket for the English 2000 Guineas in favor of keeping Persian King home for the French version of the race on May 12. Persian King won that race by one length while racing over heavy ground that wasn’t his favorite, and he stands a good chance of successfully stretching out past one mile on Sunday at Chantilly, albeit at a royally short price.

Fabre also has Roman Candle and Slalom entered, and Slalom merits consideration. Slalom, a Wertheimer et Frere homebred by Prix du Jockey Club winner Intello, has started his career with three wins and already has shone over Sunday’s distance. He won the April 14 Prix Noailles, his lone start this year, by 2 ½ lengths with an eye-catching finish going 1 5/16 miles. Slalom as of Friday was priced at about 9-1 and his post-time odds on the North American tote board could look similar. Sottsass, trained in France by Jean-Claude Rouget, and English shipper Surfman, who ran into the sharp Telecaster when third in the Dante Stakes at York, were priced similarly to Slalom.

At longer odds is a thrice-started colt named Zarkallani, a son of the great mare Zarkava bred and owned by the Aga Khan and trained by Alain de Royer-Dupre. Royer-Dupre, no stranger to top-level French success, moves Zarkallani from a third-start maiden win May 26 at Longchamp all the way into the Jockey-Club – and probably does so for good reason. Zarkallani ran decently going a mile in his first two starts but turned in an impressive going-away maiden win last weekend when stretched to 1 ¼ miles at Longchamp. Jockey Christophe Soumillon never resorted to the crop as Zarkallani pulled away to a four-length win.