Siljan’s Saga looks to repeat in Grand Prix de Deauville
Siljan’s Saga can become the first horse in nine years to win consecutive runnings of the $224,520 Grand Prix de Deauville when she faces three male rivals in the turf marathon on Sunday at Deauville Racecourse in France.
A 5-year-old mare, Siljan’s Saga is winless in six starts since the 2015 Grand Prix de Deauville, a span that includes an eighth-place finish in the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last October. More recently, Siljan’s Saga was third against males in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on July 3.
Trained by Jean-Pierre Gauvin, Siljan’s Saga can win her fifth career stakes in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Deauville at 1 9/16 miles. The last horse to win consecutive runnings of the race was Irish Wells in 2006-07.
Siljan’s Saga’s competition is led by Erupt, the winner of the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris for 3-year-olds in July 2015. Erupt was fifth in the Arc last year. Earlier this summer, Erupt was second in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and fifth in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 23.
Garlingari and Savoir Vivre are the other runners. Garlingari won the Group 2 Prix Harcourt at Chantilly in July and was fifth in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. Savoir Vivre was second in the German Derby last month.