World-class milers abound in Jacques le Marois

Seven horses are entered in the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois on Sunday at Deauville, and it takes no great leap of the imagination to envision five plausible winners.

Romanised won the 2019 Marois and rates as a contender again, but the foes he faces Sunday in this one-mile fixture are much stronger than those he beat last summer. Shaman was second in the Marois last year and would be nowhere near the top of the betting Sunday.

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Romanised’s chief rivals are Circus Maximus, the fellow 4-year-old who beat him a head last September in the Group 1 Prix du Moulin; Persian King, another 4-year-old who appears to be back in the form that earned a French 2000 Guineas win and a runner-up finish in the French Derby last year; 3-year-old Palace Pier, who toppled 2019 champion 2-year-old Pinatubo when last seen racing in the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot; and the 3-year-old filly Alpine Star, who should benefit cutting back to one mile after a strong second in the 1 5/16-mile French Oaks.

Romanised has raced only once since Circus Maximus bulled his way to victory in last year’s Moulin, winning a Group 2 on July 18 in Ireland designed as a launching pad to a late-summer and fall campaign back at the Group 1 level. As for Circus Maximus, he battled back after being passed a furlong from the finish to win the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot before settling for second behind Mohaather in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes last month at Goodwood, and there’s little reason to believe he won’t turn in a contending performance.

In the Queen Anne, Circus Maximus nipped the John Gosden-trained filly Terebellum, and in Palace Pier, Gosden might have something stronger to run. Palace Pier has won all four of his races, two last year and two this season, and enters the Marois a fresh horse, making his first start in nearly two months.

Alpine Star, meanwhile, runs for the first time since July 5, when she was beaten a head by Fancy Blue in the French Oaks. Fancy Blue went on to win the Group 1 Nassau over older fillies and mares, and Alpine Star has strong form over one mile, having easily captured the Group 1 Coronation Stakes going that trip at Royal Ascot. As a 3-year-old filly she gets nine pounds from the older males, while the 3-year-old males get a five-pound break from the older horses.

The Marois is a Breeders’ Cup Win and You’re In race, offering a fees-paid entry into the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Post time is set for 9:50 a.m. Eastern. The card is available for wagering and live streaming at DRFBets.com.