Call The Wind the One to Beat in Prix de Barbeville

Star stayers Holdthasigreen and Call The Wind are separated by just one pound on official ratings (116 compared to 115), but the head-to-head record is firmly in the favor of Call The Wind, and the fact that he is in receipt of six pounds from his main rival suggests this year's edition of the Prix de Barbeville (G3) could be a one-horse race.

The talented 6-year-old trained by Freddy Head has finished in front of his regular foe on four occasions, including the Prix du Cadran (G1) at ParisLongchamp in 2018. 

Following that effort, however, Call The Wind went through a spell of always finding one or two too good in group 1 and 2 company and didn't strike again until the inaugural running of the Longines Turf Handicap on Saudi Cup Night at Riyadh. 

He landed a cool prize of just over £1.1 million that day, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him improve for that effort, given it was his first run for four months.

Head was set to send his stayer to Dubai on the back of his Riyadh score, but the Dubai World Cup meeting was canceled, and he has since been kept fresh with this race in mind. 

"I'm very happy with him. He was very good when he won the last day. We then took him to Dubai, and he was there when the meeting was canceled," Head said. 

"Since he's been back, he's been in good form, and he's in perfect shape now. I think he'll run a good race."

The only time that 8-year-old Holdthasigreen has fended off Call The Wind in five outings was when he denied Head's runner a second consecutive score in the Cadran last year under an inspired ride from Tony Piccone.

That race will be the target for both runners once again, but trainer Bruno Auduin will hope that the topweight can repeat last year's victory in this contest first.

The six-pound concession to Call The Wind and the fact he hasn't run since October have to be worries, though, and Head added about Call The Wind's big rival: "Holdthasigreen is giving us a lot of weight here, and the ground is fine."

The other three runners look completely outclassed and should be playing for third with the race-fit Libello fancied to come out on top of those.