Recoletos targets first Group 1 win in Prix d'Ispahan

Recoletos, third in the Group 1 French Derby in 2017, will be favored to win a Group 1 race for the first time in Sunday’s $291,500 Prix d’Ispahan for older horses at Longchamp Racecourse in France.

Recoletos has had one start this year, winning the Group 2 Prix du Muguet at a mile on turf May 1 at Saint-Cloud, and will start for the first time in his career at Longchamp. The historic track on the west side of Paris underwent a grandstand renovation and was closed from October 2015 until last month.

Recoletos, a 4-year-old trained by Carlos Laffon-Parais, is part of a field of six in the Prix d’Ispahan, which is run at 1 3/16 miles on turf. The race could serve as a prep for the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 20 in England.

Taareef, third in the Prix du Muguet, rates as a contender in the Prix d’Ispahan. Last fall, Taareef won the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein at a mile on turf at Chantilly Racecourse.

Trais Fluors was second in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat for 3-year-olds at Chantilly last July and 13th of 15 in the $6 million Dubai Turf on March 31 in the United Arab Emirates. Trained by Andre Fabre, Trais Fluors was second in a four-runner allowance race on the all-weather track at Chantilly in March in his first start of the year.

The eight-race Longchamp program includes the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/4 miles on turf, which could produce a few runners for the Group 1 French Oaks on June 17 at Chantilly.

The $291,500 Prix Saint-Alary drew only five entrants, including Laurens, who was second in the English 1000 Guineas on May 6 at Newmarket. Trained by Karl Burke in England, Laurens won the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket last October.

The Prix Saint-Alary will be the first start of the year for the unbeaten With You, who won the Group 3 Prix des Reservoirs at a mile last October at Chantilly.

Laffon-Parais starts Soustraction, who was sixth in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Chantilly last October and second in her first start this year, the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux at 1 1/8 miles on turf on April 8 at Longchamp.