Shaman, Sottsass duel in Prix Ganay

Shaman beat Sottsass by two lengths May 11 in the Prix d’Harcourt, but Sottsass beat everyone last year in the French Derby and is the strong early favorite over Shaman to win the Group 1 Prix Ganay on Sunday at Chantilly.

It was at Chantilly, racing the same 1 5/16-mile distance as the Ganay, that Sottsass won the French Derby last June 2, an exciting success for the American owner and breeder Peter Brant, who races as White Birch Farm overseas. Sottsass, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, got the summer off, returned to win the age-restricted Prix Niel, and was a creditable third behind Waldgeist and Enable in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

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Sottsass made his 4-year-old debut as the odds-on favorite in the Harcourt, but never looked like a winner racing over very soft turf making his first start in seven months. He figures to have shaken off the rust with the comeback run, but Shaman might not be so easy to defeat on Sunday.

Shaman, too, was making his first start following a long layoff, and while Sottsass clearly had the better 3-year-old season in 2019, Shaman flashed talent leading all the way in the 2019 Prix la Force, where he beat Rockemperor, who appears to be on the way to becoming one of the better middle-distance turf horses in America. Shaman’s connections focused on making him a miler most of last season despite his success leading in the nine-furlong Prix la Force. In the Harcourt he was permitted to lead and dictate terms, tactics Shaman both appears to enjoy and could employ again Sunday.

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Way to Paris is the other horse in a five-runner field who might have a reasonable chance, although his top form doesn’t rise to Sottsass’s level and he doesn’t possess Shaman’s potential pace edge.

Sunday’s program also includes the Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary for 3-year-old fillies over 1 ¼ miles, and there are some talented fillies in this fixture – principally Magic Attitude, Tawkeel, Solsticia, and Savarin. Magic Attitude scored a comfortable two-length win over the decent filly Emoji in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux on May 14, looking like a filly who had jumped at least a level from her age 2 to age 3 seasons. Tawkeel, unbeaten in three starts, has only raced over all-weather surfaces but should have little trouble transitioning to turf and brims with upside. Solsticia, trained by Andre Fabre for Wertheimer et Frere, was such a sharp second-out maiden winner May 18 at Chantilly that she’s co-favored in early betting with Magic Attitude.

Past performances for these races are available at drf.com, while live-streaming video and wagering can be accessed at bets.drf.com.