Prep races for French 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas relocated

Prep races for the French 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas originally scheduled to be run at Maisons-Laffitte but moved because of wet conditions will be run Monday at Deauville.

The Group 3 Prix Impudence for 3-year-old fillies over seven furlongs drew nine entrants, none of whom presently rate among the leading hopes for the French filly classics.

Spaday, trained by Carlos Laffon-Parias for the Wertheimer brothers, might be slightly more interesting than the four other top contenders.

Spaday won a maiden race at Maisons-Laffitte second time out, and then finished fourth in her 2-year-old finale and stakes debut, the Group 3 Prix Miesque on Nov. 1. The Miesque was run over very soft grounds and Spaday dwelt at the start before racing competitively thereafter.

Third in the Miesque was another Prix Impudence starter, Moisson Precoce, who returned to action with a convincing maiden win March 2 at Deauville.

Likely to be favored is Zonza, whose owners include New York-based Martin Schwartz, and who ended her 2-year-old campaign with a pair of decent performances in Group 1 competition. Zonza was beaten 1 1/2 lengths in the Prix Morny over good ground before losing by 5 1/2 over soft going while ending her season March 1 in the Prix Marcel-Boussac.

Tantheem, trained by Freddie Head for the Shadwell Stable, also should come in for considerable support. Tantheem won at the Group 3 level last summer before finishing seventh in the Morny, her final start at age 2.

Cardsharp and Woodmax are the highest-rated horses in the Group 3 Prix Djebel, another seven-furlong race, this the prep for the French 2,000 Guineas, formally called the Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

Cardsharp, based in England with trainer Mark Johnston, makes his 3-year-old debut following a busy and productive 2-year-old campaign during which he won four of 10 starts while facing many of Europe’s best juveniles. Cardsharp’s best win came in the Group 2 July Stakes, but he also was third in the Group 1 Middle Park and fifth in the Group 1 Dewhurst, a race in which Mendelssohn was second. Cardsharp in the Djebel must show he was more than merely a precocious type while proving he can race effectively beyond six furlongs.

Woodmax accomplished less last year than Cardsharp but also is less exposed. Trained by Nicolas Clement, and also set to make his first start at age 3, Woodmax won two straight minor races late last summer before finishing fourth, beaten a little more than three lengths by the outstanding filly Happily, in the Group 1 Jean-Luc Lagardere, his final race at 2.

Also worthy of note is the Andre Fabre-trained Godolphin colt Drummore, who failed to make a serious impression at age 2 while winning a maiden race, but who was beaten only by Corinthia Knight in a listed race over the Chantilly all-weather surface making his 3-year-old bow on March 15. That was Corinthia Knight’s third straight win and he came back to capture a listed stakes March 30 at Lingfield.