Rosanara challenging males at Saint-Cloud

The Aga Khan's exciting juvenile filly Rosanara will take on males at Saint-Cloud on Sunday when she runs in the Group 1, $370,000, Criterium International. A daughter of Sinndar, Rosanara was one of four Group 1 winners for the Aga Khan on Arc Day when she breezed to a two-length victory in the Prix Marcel Boussac over the same one-mile distance as the International.

That effort, which earned her a Racing Post Rating of 114, followed on the heels of a four-length maiden victory going a mile at Longchamp on Sept. 1. Ridden by Christophe Soumillon in her first two starts, the Alain de Royer-Dupre trainee will be partnered by the Aga Khan's 2010 contract rider, Christophe Lemaire, on Sunday, as Soumillon embarks on a two-month sojourn to Japan.

Emerald Commander is one of Godolphin's latest mid-season purchases. A Pivotal colt, he was picked up by Sheikh Mohammed after his 2 1/2-length victory for Richard Hannon in the listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock Park on Sept. 5. He had been just as impressive in his previous outing, finishing second in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes to Elusive Pimpernel, who was second last week in the Racing Post Trophy to the all-conquering St Nicholas Abbey. Tom Durcan has the ride.

The Pascal Bary-trained Arasin has only a one-mile Chantilly allowance victory to show from five starts, but fits well with the favorites. A Footstepsinthesand colt, he has twice been runner-up to the Aga Khan's undefeated Behkabad, first by a short neck in a 7 1/2-furlong Deauville allowance, then by three-quarters of a length in Longchamp's one-mile, Group 3 Prix des Chenes. Olivier Peslier will pilot Arasin for the first time.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien will be represented by maiden winners Jan Vermeer and Midas Touch, while John Gosden saddles the supplemented Prizefighting, the winner of a Kempton Park Polytrack maiden on Oct. 26.